Change of heart
by MagzOAT
Summary: Set after the episode "Things Change." Robin's past catches up with him as the team makes a discovery about Red X's true identity. Raven has a plan to help, but things don't go as planned.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1. Things change – Part 2**

It'd been six months. Six months since the last fight, six months since the Titans got together to save each other, since their last fight with the brotherhood. Six months of lazy, peaceful days, of friends sitting by the television every night to eat popcorn and talk about the good old days. Six months since they returned to Jump city, since they returned to their home. It was a strange feeling, to go back to a place you loved so much and find it completely changed. The tower felt empty at first, but it slowly regained its usual cheerful aura. It was almost as if the building, the furniture, the rooms, had missed the team as much as the team had missed them. But now they were at peace. For now.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zynthos." Chanted Raven, her eyes closed. She'd been meditating, as always. As much as she liked the peace, it was still hard to maintain control without letting some steam out. It'd been far too long since their last fight, since the last villain had gotten out. And how many had gotten out. It'd been a war. There was no other word to describe that massacre. But they'd won and that was all that mattered.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zynthos." She chanted again, before taking a deep breath, still in lotus position. How long had it been since she started meditating? Something was still bothering her, something that was not finished. It was as if the entire thing had been left open, like an unfinished circle craving to be closed. But what was it? There was something in the air, in the tower, around her and she just couldn't rest until she found it.

"Azarath, Metrion-" A loud bang on her door broke her trance and she opened her eyes, glaring at the door. "What?" She asked between gritted teeth, unable to hide her anger. There was no answer though, so the empath just raised an eyebrow. Had she imagined it? At least she'd managed to tell how long she'd been meditating and, from the view of her window, she'd been here a long time. The sun was setting, making her entire room glow yellow and red. She glanced at the window, the sun making odd shapes over the sea. Truly a sight proper of a painting. But not a sight proper for a meditating room. Raven's eyes glowed dark, and the curtains closed as they were covered in dark energy. Much better.

The girl took another deep breath before closing her eyes again. She hummed for a moment, her energy releasing slowly, her hair moving around her face as if wind had entered the room.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zi-" Another loud bang on the door. She almost fumed as she opened her eyes again. Raven's eyes glowed dark and the door opened fully. "WHAT?" She asked once again, raising her voice, but then calmed down, confused, as she saw no one there.

Raven stood slowly, peeking at the darkness of the hallway. What was happening? She walked to stand on the door, barely lighted by the few candles inside her bedroom. Her shadow danced against the wall, but other than that she saw no movement. What was happening?

After a moment, she turned on her heels, fully intending to get inside her bedroom and go back to meditating, when her feet hit something. Blinking down at it, the girl leaned down to pick up what she'd hit. She frowned as she straightened her back, a card in her hand, an arrow painted on top. The sight was familiar, but she couldn't place where she'd seen it before.

It wasn't until she raised her eyes that she noticed the rest of the cards, all placed neatly on the floor, all with arrows pointing a direction. She was hit with a sense of déjà vu, leaving her confused, but she still followed the cards, smiling slightly. Whatever it was, it was a happy memory.

"Alright." She said as she walked toward the living room, sensing her friends there, "What is it?" When the door opened, her eyes widened in surprise as confetti fell on her head. The entire place was full of balloons and presents.

"Surprise!" Screamed her teammates in unison, but her expression was left unchanged. "Don't tell me it's been a year already?" She asked, her voice bitter at the memories, but she was quickly pulled by Starfire.

"Oh, this is the most joyous day!" She exclaimed, hugging the empath, but Raven tried to push her away. "Don't tell me you forgot your own birthday?" Added Robin, walking towards them with crossed arms and an annoying smirk on his face.

"We've been busy." Was her reply, but she couldn't hide the fact that she was touched by the sentiment. There wouldn't be a birthday left uncelebrated from then on, would it? As grateful as she was, she still had a problem dealing with parties.

"You didn't think we'll forget, did ya?" Said Cyborg with a huge grin, waving a plate with a cake far too big and far too tall for it to still be standing. "And I made you something special!" He placed down the cake, every layer in different colour and with different coloured frosting, to pay attention to another plate, once that was covered.

"Ta-da!" He said dramatically as he opened the plate. Raven raised an eyebrow at the sight. "Waffles." She said, her voice stoic, "How did you know?" Cyborg, already used to her humour, grinned at her in answer and shrugged. "Come on, Rave. We know it's your favourite."

Starfire hugged her once more and this time Raven let out a tiny "Ugh!" As she was squeezed far too strongly. "And I have ready the traditional meat crown to celebrate the anniversary of your day of birth!" She said, before flying toward the kitchen to grab the crown from the fridge.

Robin grinned at Raven, taking a step next to her. "We also have herbal tea." He added, waving a gloved hand to the table. She turned to see a still steaming teapot. Raven smiled down at the neatly placed cups, before frowning as she noticed there were only four. Now that she thought about it, one of the titans was missing.

She tried not to point it out, but Robin knew her far too well for her taste. "Beast boy should be here any minute now." He said with an easy, knowing smile. Raven just looked at him, but said nothing. Cyborg had heard him though, so he was the one to speak up. "He's been gone all day." He said as he served Raven a plate of freshly made waffles. "He's been gone most days." Noticed Robin, but Raven said nothing on the matter; taking the plate Cyborg was offering her.

"Friend Beast boy has been arriving after the hours, hasn't he?" Commented Starfire, as she flew closer to them, a crown made out of meat on the plate she was carrying.

Raven was quiet but she looked down sadly at the plate of waffles, wondering for a moment if they were vegan... "No worries!" Said Robin lightly as he noticed her expression, "We planned the night for you, so Cyborg?" The robot seemed happy to be called and he moved toward the television.

"Ladies and gentleman!" He started, grinning and bowing dramatically, "May I present to you: Raven's night!" He pulled out some CDs from a compartment in his chest. "We got this today! The kid at the movie store said you'll like them." He showed the cases to Raven as she was moving to sit on the couch, her plate of waffles on her lap.

"Art movies?" She asked as she noticed the covers. She raised an eyebrow at her friend, "Are you sure you're up for it?" Cyborg shrugged while grinning as Starfire and Robin joined Raven on the couch with their own servings. "Hey, it's just a lot of foreign languages and dark backgrounds. It'll be like watching you meditate." He was teasing her, but Raven just smiled in response, accepting his excuse.

"Happy seventeen birthday, Raven." Said Robin as the movie started and she turned to return the smile. "Thank you." And the titans settled to watch the movie. Well, three titans were watching the movie, one was missing, and the last one was wondering where he'd gone.

Four hours later, and a movie was still rolling. Starfire, Robin and Cyborg were already asleep on the couch. Apparently the movie wasn't as trilling to them as it was to Raven, as she managed to understand the meaning behind the many symbols the movie shown, but they didn't. Cyborg had spend the entire first movie complaining at the black and white style, arguing that it's taken a lot to invent T.V. in color to be watching old stuff. Starfire seemed to enjoy the romance some of the movies had, but was terribly angry when she found out there was no happy ending in these movies. Robin just seemed bored with the lack of action. But they'd stayed and they'd endured, and Raven appreciated the fact that they took time to do something they disliked for her sake.

Raven yawned, covering her mouth and leaning back on the couch, before blinking sleepily at the screen. She barely caught on the two kissing on the screen, before the woman pulled out a gun. She snorted at the reaction, rolling her eyes at the unnecessary drama created. She was so focused on the screen, she barely heard the door opening. But she had, and she knew full well who it was.

"Woah, man!" Said Beast boy, walking inside, his back lightened by the elevation, but he was quickly covered in shadows again, the only thing lightening the room being the T.V. screen. "There was a party?" He asked to no one in particular, before noticing the four in front of the screen, a pair of emotionless blue eyes staring at him.

"Um." He said, scratching the back of his head, "Did I miss something?" He asked, and Raven's eyes narrowed. "No." She answered, before standing up. She almost stepped on an empty bowl that a couple of hours ago had been full of popcorn.

"You're late." She noticed, but her voice was devoid of emotion. It wasn't an accusation, merely a statement. "Yeah." He said, laughing awkwardly and her eyes narrowed again. She walked toward him, staring. He was hiding something; she could feel his nervousness and something else. Sadness? No… something deeper.

"Um..." He started, before gulping, looking everywhere else but her. "I didn't mean to get here this late. I was just… busy." He laughed awkwardly before his eyes set on something. He narrowed his eyes, staring up at the sign that had been placed over the kitchen counter, trying to read the message in the dim light. "Happy Birthday… Raven!" He said out loud as he deciphered the message, before his eyes widened. "Oh right!" He could almost hit himself.

Beast boy turned to smile at Raven, and she was suddenly hit with his guilt. "Happy Birthday, Rae!" He said awkwardly, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to miss your party. I didn't realise how much time have passed and I-" "Save it." She interrupted, walking past him toward the hallway, intending to go to her room. "But I didn't mean-" "My birthday was yesterday." She said over her shoulder, before walking away, leaving him staring after her.

"Man! What's her problem?" He asked to no one in particular once she disappeared, but jumped as someone answered. "Where were you?" Asked Robin, standing from the couch. "Dude!" Yelped Garfield, not expecting anyone to be there, "How long have you been there?" Robin's eyes narrowed in the dark as he walked toward the changeling.

"I asked you a question." Said the team leader, his tone showing how unhappy he was with Beast boy. The green boy gulped, before returning the glare he was being given. "I didn't realise I had a curfew." He said, half joking, but Robin wasn't amused. "You're not answering." He noted, crossing his arms as he stood right in front of Beast boy.

"Dude." Said Beast boy, walking past him, bumping Robin's shoulder with his. "Stop acting like my father." Robin turned, glaring at him, "I am your team leader. You do remember you're part of a team, don't you?" Garfield stopped letting out a frustrated sigh, "I know, _dad_." He said, rolling his eyes, "Relax, dude! I missed a party! Big deal. I'm sure Raven doesn't even care." Robin's glare didn't go away. "You don't know what she's feeling." He said and Beast boy returned the glare this time, "And you do? Come on! She doesn't care. It's just some silly party." Robin's eyes narrowed again and Beast boy sighed in defeat. "Look, if it makes you feel better, I'll go apologize tomorrow morning." He tried sending the wonder boy a smile, but it wasn't returned. "Come on, I'm beat. And Raven's probably sleeping right now." He turned to walk to his room, waving a hand back, "Night, dude." And he was gone, leaving Robin glaring behind him.

The next morning, Raven was hiding inside her room. She was trying to concentrate, trying to forget the pang of sadness and disappointment she'd felt last night. It wasn't at all about the birthday, not really. There was something else, something foreign, and something that didn't belong to her. Where had Beast boy been off to that was so important and left him so… emotionally drained?

"Azarath, Metrion, Zin-" A knock on her door almost made her drop from her floating lotus position, and she sighed, blowing a strand of hair away from her face in frustration. "I'm a little busy." She said toward the door, her voice devoid of emotion, but the voice on the other side broke her barriers.

"Uh, sorry, Rae." Said Beast boy from the other side, staring at the big metal door, holding something behind his back, unsure of what to do. "Um… I just wanted to apologize for missing your party yesterday. I was- You know I never would have missed it unless it was- unless it was something important." He laughed awkwardly, knowing full well he was lying, but then the door opened and there stood his teammate, looking as emotionless as always.

"Um, hi." He said with an awkward smile, "Look. I'm really sorry for forgetting your birthday." He grinned next, "But I'll make it up to you, I promise!" He wiggled his eyebrows, before showing her what he'd been hiding. "Ta-da!" He announced as he showed her a poorly packed present. Raven raised an eyebrow at the package and Beast boy couldn't help but comparing the two… They were just so different. She had opened it widely, had smiled, she'd been so happy.

"This is for me?" Asked Raven in her usual monotone, and Garfield grinned as he nodded, "Yup. Made it myself. Stood up all night too." Raven's eyes widened and he saw a glimpse of emotion that made him slightly nervous. "Well, come on. Open it." Raven blinked down at the package in his hands, before taking it. She seemed unsure about what to do, so Beast boy pushed her slightly, "Come on, Rae. I promise it's not a joke." Though that would've been fun.

Raven smiled gently, surprising him, before she tore the paper. She blinked down at the present, losing her smile. It was a box, just like Terra's, except this one was in a more intricate shape. Apparently, he'd tried to shape it into a Raven, but it looked more like a random bird. She opened it, noticing the mirror.

"I figured hearts weren't really your thing." He said, feeling awkward. They stood there for what felt like forever, and Beast boy really was hoping she would say something. "Um… I thought you probably needed one too, you know? You girls have all kinds of random stuff and, well, you like mirrors so… um… Do you- do you like it?" Why was she making this so awkward? She turned her gaze at him, still stoic, and he tried smiling. Why wasn't she normal? Why couldn't she just smile and hug him and thank him or something? Why did she have to be so, so Raven like!

"It's the same thing you gave Terra." She noticed, instead of following the short scenario he'd created in his head. Beast boy shook his head, "Well, this is a raven." He said, unsure if she was mad over it or not, "See? Hers was a-" "You gave the same thing to Terra." She insisted, and he noticed some emotion in her voice. She was… angry? "Uh, yeah. I know how to make them and, well, I thought you would like it."

Raven nodded, before looking down at the box again. It was pretty, she couldn't deny that. "Thank you." She said, finally, and he grinned, despite her tone. "Yeah, you're welcome. Happy birthday."

There was awkward silence again, and he laughed to fill it. He didn't like silence. But the noise had made Raven look up at him. "Well, I better leave you to it." He said, before taking a step back, and then turning, hurrying to get out of her scrutinizing gaze.

"Beast boy." She called and he stopped, turning to her over his shoulder. She was just standing there though, not saying anything, so he had to ask, "What?" Those eyes were far too cold for someone human, but then again, Raven wasn't exactly human, was she? He almost gulped but he was sure she would notice that. "Whatever it was that made you miss the party," She was saying and she sounded as awkward as he was feeling, "I'm sure it was important."

Garfield stood there in shock, before nodding at her and smiling. "Yeah." He said, relieved that she wasn't angry, "Don't worry. Won't happen again." With that he left, leaving her to stare at the space he'd been occupying before.

"I'm sure…"

"Titans, GO!"

Just their luck. The Hive Five was back. Even when missing one member, they still managed to hold their stance against the Titans.

Beast boy turned into a gorilla, taking Mammoth straight. They grabbed each others hands, pushing, both growling, until they both jumped away from a blast. Just then, Starfire flew by, her eyes and hands glowing green, as she tried to get Kyd Wikkyd. The boy just disappeared into his cloak, making the alien girl fly away. Robin jumped in the way, staff out, as he fought many Billy Numerous copies as they laughed annoyingly, trying to get the boy wonder. A blue blast from Cyborg and they all gathered away, just as Robin jumped away. The half robot ran toward them, intending to help Robin, but then a metal tentacle grabbed him. Gizmo laughed as he shook Cyborg, before a black energy surrounded him, and the gadget around him exploded, dropping Cyborg onto the floor once again. Raven's eyes were still black, when a laser hit her. Seemore was grinning triumphal, changing his eye back to normal, but then he was hit by a green ox.

And so the circle started again. The Titans truly were a team, but the Hive Five were exactly five, so it was hard to keep the others safe when there was always someone else to hit them.

Raven groaned, holding her head as Beast boy tried to pull her up. "Come on!" He hurried her and she managed to float again. "Azarath, Metrion, Zynthos!" She chanted, managing to grab a couple of cars with dark energy and throw them at Mammoth, who was trying to grab Robin while he fought Billy. It was truly a free for all.

"Stand back!" Gizmo was screaming at his team, waving a tiny arm at them. "Quickly! To the school!" And Mammoth and Seemore started to run away, as Billy and Kyd Wikkyd held the others back.

"No!" Screamed out Beast boy, his tone far too desperate to be normal. "Beast boy!" Screamed Robin after him as he saw a green panther jump over them and into the school, running desperately.

"Follow him!" Ordered Robin, turning to Raven and she nodded, before disappearing into a black shadow.

Inside, everything was far too quiet. Raven floated through the hallway, only the hum of class being given filling her ears. She looked around, looking for any sign of Beast boy, but found nothing. And then laughter. "Gizmo." She muttered under her breath, before floating her way around the corner. Her eyes widened at the sight.

Gizmo had Beast boy trapped by some sort of leash, the green panther trying desperately to get it loose. "X is not the only one with a few tricks!" Said the small genius and Raven recognized the red material. "Beast boy!" She managed to yell out, before her ankles were suddenly grabbed. Billy was laughing, hanging from her, and pulling her down. When his weight wasn't enough, another Billy climbed up, and then another, until the weight was far too much for her to handle.

"Let me GO!" She yelled out, a wave of black surrounding her, pushing away everyone holding her. Many Billys fell around her, before she dodged Seemore's laser again. "Fool me once…" She said, her eyes black, and she pushed him away with a wave of black energy.

Her red hateful eyes turned to Gizmo, who merely managed an "Uh oh." Before yelling out as he was sent flying backwards with a wave of her hand. Raven managed to relax enough to fly toward Beast boy.

"It's okay!" She said as he was pulling desperately at the leash she was holding, "Hold still. I got it." She said, before the leash turned back. "Azarath, Metrion, Zynthos!" She chanted, and the leash exploded, sending red everywhere. But Beast boy wasn't done. He transformed almost immediately into a cat, jumping away from her and taking off.

"Wait!" She called, before dashing behind him. What had him so nervous? Why was he so- She stopped as, around the corner, she saw Beast boy looking through the glass of the door.

She floated nearby, but he didn't seem to notice. Raven raised an eyebrow, before noticing the sign on the door. Biology. What had him so-?

The bell rang and he turned quickly, only now noticing her. "We have to get out of here!" He yelled out, grabbing her wrist and pulling her away and around the corner. "What are you-?!" She started but he shushed her, holding a finger against his lips. Then he moved to peek over the corner. Raven couldn't help her curiosity, so she leaned around him to look what had him so nervous.

Students started to come out and until one in particular made Raven gasp in surprise. "Terra!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2. Moving on.**

"Starfire! Go!" Robin waved an arm at her and Starfire did as was told, flying toward the school, dropping Kyd Wykkyd from enough height to make him lose consciousness when falling. Robin jumped back, just as Mammoth hit the pavement where he'd been standing just a second ago.

"Only one more to go. Booyah!" screamed out Cyborg, as his arm turned into a gun and a blue ray hit Mammoth straight on his back. There was a moment of silence as the cloud of dirt cleared.

Robin looked around. Mammoth and Kyd Wykkyd didn't seem to be getting up any time soon. He noticed the many destroyed cars and the fallen school gate. At least the students had been in class. He noticed some of said students were getting out of the building, laughing and talking with worries of exams and homework. How different would his life be if he'd chosen that path. He wasn't like the rest of the Titans, he was as human as a person could be. But if he'd learned something from Bruce it was that you don't need powers to become a hero.

"Where's BB and Rave?" wondered Cyborg, breaking Robin's thoughts. Batman's apprentice blinked as he noticed the two missing teammates. "They must still be inside the school." he said, walking away already. It was far too quiet and people were far too relaxed for a fight to be happening. "Let's go."

…

"And none of you believed me." Said Garfield, crossing his arms and looking cocky as if finding their lost friend was a thing to be proud of. Raven turned her glare from the girl to him. "You consider this a good thing?" She asked, her voice in its usual monotone, though he could sense the anger. Beast Boy untangled his arms, letting them drop on his sides in defeat.

"Well, isn't it?" he said in confusion, "She was our friend! Is our friend. Don't tell me you-?" "She betrayed us all." Said Raven with finality, her eyes fixed on the common, giggling blonde down the hall. It wasn't fair. That was her punishment? To keep a normal life, away from any important worries?

"Let's get out of here." She said, instead of answering his question, easily turning. That tiny act of indifference, seeing Raven so easily give her back to the girl he loved, made him suddenly furious.

"Is that how you treat your friends, Raven?!" he screamed out at her, making people turn to him. Even Terra, or the blonde girl, he was still unsure, was turning toward them to see what the fuss was about. "She isn't my friend." Said Raven between gritted teeth. "She never was." That did it. Beast Boy grabbed the empath by her shoulders, twisting her until she was looking straight at him, his eyes desperate. For a moment there, Raven lost herself from the situation, wondering when he'd grown taller than her.

"Is this how you feel about the rest of us too?" He asked, but she was unfazed. "This is how I would feel if anyone else hurt my family." She answered in her monotone. "She WAS our family!" And Raven glared at him. "Terra was never my sister, like Starfire is. She was never a friend, since we couldn't trust her fully."

"Beast Boy?" A familiar voice called. The two titans turned to see the blonde girl, the one who looked so much like Terra, staring at them with worried eyes. "What are you doing here? Who are these people?" She waved a hand as she caught sight of Gizmo, the many Billies and Seemore, all passed out and in her school hallway.

Raven's eyes narrowed at the sight of Terra. Why was she acting so familiar with him? "Terra?" Raven asked, before Beast Boy could answer. Terra sighed in frustration, pulling a strand of long blonde hair out of her face. Raven had to admit, she looked as beautiful as ever, and couldn't help the pang of jealousy she felt.

"Why are you calling me that?" She asked, sounding frustrated, "My name is Tara." The blonde placed both hands on her waist, turning her glare toward Beast Boy, "And I told you not to come here again. What is going on?"

Raven looked surprised for a moment, before her features relaxed in understanding. Terra didn't remember. Either that or this girl, this exact copy of the traitor, was just a different girl.

"We were just cleaning the hallways of scum." Beast Boy joked, waving a hand at the passed out villains. "You're welcome by the way." He wiggled his eyebrows, easily falling back into his persona, the one he was whenever Terra was around. Tara's eyes went from him to Raven, looking at the empath in wonder.

"This is Rae- er- Raven. Another Teen Titan." he introduced her awkwardly. Tara was staring far too deeply into Raven's eyes, her expression unreadable. "Nice to meet you." she said, her voice slightly strained. Raven nodded, her expression unchanging. "You too."

The empath turned her back to the girl once again, much to Beast Boy's frustration. "We need to go." she said in her usual stoic voice, already walking away, her cloak floating behind her. Both Beast Boy and Tara stared after her, Beast Boy glaring at her while Tara just looked surprised.

"Not a people person, is she?" said the blonde with her easy humour, making Garfield turn to her with a slight smile. She got him, even after losing her memory, she still got him. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, chuckling slightly, "Raven's just… serious." He wasn't sure what excuse he could give for the empath, before letting out a sigh.

"How've you been, Terra?" he asked longingly, knowing full well how she was. Tara sighed again, moving her hair once again, "It's Tara, remember?" she said, crossing her arms. "And you need to go. I don't need the professors blaming me for having a green kid running around the school. Titan or not." With that, the girl turned on her heels, joining her friends once again and smiling easily. So easily.

Beast Boy stared after her, letting out a sigh. Was she still the Terra he'd grown to love so many months ago? She looked like her, sounded like her, even laughed and joked like her. Why was she trying so hard to forget him?

With one last sad sigh, he moved to leave the school, walking slowly with his hands in his pockets, kicking up dirt as he went, feeling even worse than he'd felt before.

…

By the time they returned to the tower, Beast Boy was surprised to find no one had told him anything about Terra, not even Raven. Apparently, she hadn't said anything, much to his frustration.

Everyone was minding their own business, Cyborg, as usual, making some snacks, Starfire trying to help out, only to be pushed away, Robin sitting on the couch, looking up at the screen as some numbers and pictures appeared and-

"Where's Raven?" He asked as he noticed she was missing. Cyborg looked up at him, raising his one human eyebrow, "She disappeared inside her room, as always." He was curious though, "Why?" Beast Boy growled angrily, moving toward Robin, so he had his full attention.

"What is it?" Asked Robin, annoyed at the intrusion, as Garfield stood in front of him, arms crossed, looking as decided as ever. "Raven saw Terra." He said with conviction, looking down at Robin. The team leader sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "We've gone through this, Beast Boy." he said, "Terra is gone. And as sad as that was, we have to-" "She's not gone." Interrupted the Changeling, shaking in anger, "Raven saw her. She- She didn't tell you?" Robin stared up at Beast Boy with doubt. If Raven indeed saw Terra then she would've said something, right? "Are you sure you did? Maybe you got confused or-"

"He's not confused." A voice behind them interrupted. Raven was approaching them from the hallway, moving slowly as she always did, her expression stoic and cold as always. Beast Boy glared at her as soon as he saw her, though couldn't help the triumphant smirk he sent Robin as Raven confirmed what he saw.

"We saw someone who looked like Terra." added Raven, looking down with a frown, deep in thought, "but the emotions I felt, they were different. That girl, the one we saw, she could've been Terra, but she isn't anymore." Garfield's eyes widened before he growled in anger, resisting the urge to throw something.

"You're wrong!" He yelled at her, waving an arm, jumping over Robin in anger, showing a skill that he only managed mid battle and when his instincts took over. He was right in front of Raven and looking livid, but the girl didn't move. Raven merely held her gaze, looking as cold and stoic as always. "I know what I felt. That isn't Terra anymore." "You're lying!" He yelled out, taking another step closer, looking very much like a beast staring down at its prey. "You didn't know her! None of you did! Not like I knew her!" Raven didn't even flinch, despite his screaming right at her face. "I'm not doubting your relationship with Terra." She said, her tone unchanging, "But that girl, the one we met today, is NOT her."

Beast Boy wanted to hit her. He felt his fist tight to his sides, shaking, resisting the urge. She didn't know her. She couldn't. He was the one who knew, who noticed, who could identify Terra's laughter, her humour, her jokes, the way she moved her hair out of her face, her mannerisms…

"She acts like Terra…" he whispered, looking down at his feet, his anger finally receding to sadness. "She laughs like her, she- she- when we were together, she laughed at my jokes. No one laughed at my jokes but Terra."

"You went out with this girl?" Asked Robin, walking toward the two. He'd been ready to jump at Beast Boy as soon as he walked up to Raven, but they knew that, despite his temper, he would never hurt the empath. It seemed Raven knew as much.

"Yeah- I… Yes." admitted Beast Boy, staring down at his feet. "I thought, I mean- She looks like Terra. You saw her Raven." And the empath nodded, "It is the same body," she agreed, "But she is not Terra." Beast Boy sighed, moving to sit on the couch, looking as heart broken as ever. "I always thought… maybe, if it was her, that she at least was happy now. Even if she didn't remember me, at least she was… normal."

Raven and Robin exchanged looks before the empath sighing and walking toward the Changeling. With some struggle, she sat next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I am not saying that she wasn't Terra." she started after some struggle, "But that is not the Terra you knew." Garfield looked up at her, still looking sad, "What do you mean?" he wondered, making the empath sigh. "That girl, she could have been Terra at some point. I-" She struggled, trying to come up with the right words. "I know what it's like to get lost. To die and be reborn. She could have been Terra at some point. But now she's Tara."

Beast Boy stared at her. So it WAS Terra, right? What was the difference if she didn't remember? If she was Terra at some point, then maybe she could go back to being Terra again! "Then what are we waiting for?" he asked, standing up waving his arms in urgency, "We need to get her back! Make her remember. Make her remember… me."

Raven stared up at him, her expression still cold. "Is that what you want?" she asked, "Knowing how much her powers made her suffer before, do you want to take away her peaceful life?"

Garfield stopped, looking crestfallen. "I-" he started saying, but had no idea how to finish the sentence. Raven was right. He'd said so before, hadn't he? He always felt that, despite everything, Terra was alive and she was happy, even if he didn't have her in his life.

She must've felt what he did, because Raven stood too, staring up at him, her expression softening slightly. "We can't change the past, Beast Boy," she said in what she hoped was a reassuring voice, "but we can change what we do with our future. If this is what Tara wants, then there's nothing we can do about it, but move on with our lives and let her be happy."

Garfield turned to look at her in surprise, noticing the softening in her voice. He smiled sadly at her, before nodding, only half convinced. "You're too smart for your own good." That made her smile back. "And you're too daft for your own good." She replied back, though there was mirth in her voice. "But that's how we like you."

With that, the empath started walking away to hide again in her room. Her emotions were running wild after having seen Terra. She'd felt the waves of love from Garfield, the way he'd looked at her in hopes that she would remember him. But she didn't, and she never would, Raven was sure of that.

….

Garfield sighed, his hair waving slightly as the wind started to blow. He was sitting on top of a building, looking down at a particular spot. There it was, Tara's high school. He could easily see her sitting with her friends, chatting happily, laughing. Wow, he'd missed her smile. He saw her move the long hair out of her face, only to have it slowly fall back in place. How he wished to be the one to push the hair back…

His nose picked up a scent; one he would've recognized everywhere. "You followed me." he said, pointing out the obvious. His fellow titan moved to sit next to him, her eyes following what he was staring at. "You didn't exactly leave us much choice." answered Raven back, "Robin was worried."

She sat there for a while, next to him, her eyes still focused on Tara. She certainly moved like the girl, but the emotions that usually followed her aura weren't the ones Raven had felt from Terra before. This girl was… happy. She wasn't burdened with a power she couldn't control, wasn't burdened with her betrayal, with her need to prove herself. This was just a teenage girl, giggling about boys and school, sharing with others as well as she could. This was a girl who would never know the trials of training, of risking her life every day, but she would also never know the wonders of trusting someone else with your life.

"You still don't trust her, do you?" Asked Beast Boy, his eyes still fixed on the blonde. Raven was quiet for a moment, before explaining herself: "I did trust her, despite my better judgment. I felt everything she felt, the way she wanted to fight, to prove herself, her shame, her anger, her betrayal. I felt it all, and yet still called her a friend."

He was quiet for some time after that, before adding: "I get why she did what she did." And she frowned in response. "I don't." He snorted, as if knowing what she was going to say already. "Of course you don't. Not everyone is as perfect as you." His words were harsh and he knew it, but he was still frustrated over the fact that no one understood how wonderful Terra had been to him. "The daughter of Trigon, living the life of a saint. If it'd been you, Terra would've trained all the time, never losing control of her powers, but never being able to feel anything either."

Raven was quiet for a moment before sighing and speaking again, "You know me better than to think I'm not able to feel anything at all." That managed to shut him up, and she felt the waves of guilt and confusion coming from him. She would never admit it out loud, but it hurt every time he called her something like that. Robin still knew her better than anyone, but it wasn't like she didn't want Beast Boy to understand her either. But he would never know that, would he? Not when he was like this. Not when he spent his days staring at the one person he wanted and could never have. But she could understand him perfectly, having someone so close and yet never being able to reach them…

The bell rang, sounding far away, and she saw Tara getting up from her spot on the ground, still giggling, carrying books and going back inside the building. Neither Titan moved when she finally disappeared inside the building.

"You were here." Raven said after a while, "You've been here every day." It wasn't a question so he didn't need to answer. "This is the important thing you needed to do." The fact that she figured it out made him feel embarrassed over lying, so he had to say something. "She can't protect herself now." he said, still staring at the school, "I need to be here in case Slade appears again."

Raven nodded. "Slade's gone." she said, though knowing full well what his reply would be. "Slade's been dead before. That still didn't stop him." And she couldn't help but agree.

The two of them sat there for a while, making small talk. Beast Boy would remember something about Terra and Raven would listen in silence, never replying, never asking questions, but still listening intently. They were so different, Terra and Raven. The empath sighed, knowing full well all the things the other girl had and she lacked. Terra had been funny, extrovert, loud and lazy, just like Beast Boy. Raven was the exact opposite of the green boy- man? He'd certainly grown so much in the last few months.

Raven turned to look at the Changeling, wondering just when he managed to get so serious. Terra's death certainly hurt him more than anyone else on the team, and Raven felt exactly how deeply hurt he'd been. It was like something was missing, as if now he lacked the ability to joke anymore, to laugh, to enjoy life. He'd grown, almost forcedly so, and became a capable leader, but losing the innocence that came with first love. But the change hadn't only been in his personality and emotions. His expression had hardened as well as his abilities. Dealing with the Beast had been bad enough, but it seemed that finding Terra again had left him with an urge to protect her.

"There she is." He said, breaking the empath's thoughts. Raven turned her gaze back at the school, as the bell rang loudly. It lasted far longer than needed, as every student was leaving the place.

Beast Boy stood up and Raven raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Are you-?" "She's going home." he answered her unasked question, "I have to follow her." With that, he turned into a bird and flew away, following the blonde girl's step.

Raven sighed, her chest tightening suddenly. She knew exactly what she was feeling but didn't intend to dwell on it. There was no point. She'd already lost. And she flew away too, following the green dove flying before her.

…

"Rae? Rae…"

Raven's eyes fluttered open only to find Beast Boy staring at her. "We should go home." Her eyes widened as she realized she'd fallen asleep. Garfield stood, his eyes focused on the building they'd been watching for the entire afternoon. Raven sighed, pulling her hood over her eyes, trying to hide her expression. Not that she needed to, since he wasn't watching her. That alone saddened her further.

"What time is it?" She wondered and he turned to smile at her gently. "Late." he said as answer, stretching out and looking tired. She sighed, resisting the urge to stretch as well, before turning her gaze back at the building. The lights were off in the entire place, except for the ones in what she assumed were the hallways.

Raven started to float, intending to return home, but she waited for him to notice. Garfield was smiling sadly at the same window he'd been staring at all afternoon and night.

"You coming?" She asked finally as she realized he wasn't moving. Beast Boy looked up at her with an easy, grateful smile. "Yeah, sure. Coming." With that he transformed into a bird and flew behind her. They didn't say anything after that, until they arrived to the Titans Tower. Even then, all they said were good nights, each disappearing into their own room.

The next day Beast Boy didn't leave that early. He played video games with Cyborg, much to his and Raven's surprise. He was laughing again, making bad jokes again and overall being himself again.

Raven smiled gently at the sight, as she noticed them when she went out of her room to grab some herbal tea. She was so happy about that little fact, that she grabbed her warm tea and sat on the couch, next to Cyborg, watching the two play.

"Not again!" Complained Beast Boy as his car crashed against yet another tree. Cyborg laughed loudly, standing up and doing a small victory dance. "Booyah! Oh yeah! Who is the best? I am the best! You lose, Elf boy! You lose and I'm the best!" He was singing and any other time, Raven would've been annoyed at such display of childishness, but now she was smiling gently as Beast Boy frowned childishly, waving the Gamestation control. "This isn't over yet! Another game! Loser takes it all!" He was talking dramatically, making Raven roll her eyes. But Beast Boy noticed it and smiled widely at her. "Come on, Rae! You can be my cheerleader!" "I do not cheer." She replied in her usual stoic voice, making Beast Boy laugh loudly. She'd missed his laughter, she noticed and she smiled gently. "You can do it!" He encouraged, nodding as he turned his attention back to the game. "Alright! One more!" "You're going down." Added Cyborg and Raven, in her attempt to amuse them, waved a hand in the laziest way possible and added a very emotionless "Go team."

Robin was walking down the hall before he noticed the three on the couch. He was surprised to find Beast Boy there, playing and laughing like before. He couldn't help the smirk that broke his face as he walked near them.

"This is a surprise." he said, leaning over the couch to send a smile to Raven, raising an eyebrow as he found her there as well. The empath blushed slightly in embarrassment, turning her attention back to the screen. "What's the bet?" asked Batman's apprentice, his eyes on the screen.

"Laundry!" said Beast Boy before Cyborg added, "One week." Robin shook his head, amused and happy as well to have Beast Boy back inside the tower. Apparently, it'd been a good idea to send Raven after him. He'd noticed before how the two had an understanding, very much like he (Robin) and Raven had an understanding.

"Come on, come on…" was saying Beast Boy, trying his best to avoid any and every obstacle, just as Starfire found them all watching the screen. "What is happening, friends?" she said as she floated towards them, before noticing Beast Boy there. "Friend Beast Boy!" she squealed, settling down next to Robin, "I am joyous to see you have gone back to your usual activities of relaxation and social interaction!"

That seemed to break Beast Boy from whatever trance he'd been in, because he blinked, his expression turning serious once again. "What time is it?" he asked, his eyes still fixed on the screen, his arms and fingers moving widely, trying his best to win the game.

"It appears to be two earth hours before the midday." answered Starfire, and Raven couldn't help turning to send her a glare. The poor alien girl couldn't have noticed it, but the empath had felt the change in Beast Boy. Instead of the light, easy, merry emotions the game was making him feel, Starfire's reminded returned him to the same emotional state he'd been the night before.

"I need to go." he said, dropping the control, making Cyborg turn to him widely, "Man! What about the game?!" he asked, pausing it as Beast Boy ran to the main door. "Sorry, dude! I lose." And with that, he was gone.

The other four were left staring after the door, every titan worried about their team member. "Did I say something wrong?" wondered Starfire sadly, before Robin placed a hand on her shoulder in a reassuring manner. "It's not your fault, Star. Beast Boy's been…" "He's been watching over Tara." said Raven, much to her team leader's surprise. "He's what?"

Raven stood, sighing and looking down. "He's taken her as his own personal project. He said he had to protect her since she can't protect herself…" The empath stood, moving away from her team as they all stared after her in shock. "Excuse me." And she too disappeared through the main door.

Cyborg sighed, placing a hand on his head, "Damn." he said, staring at the door as if the two were still standing there. "What the hell happened to this team?" Robin frowned as Starfire looked worried and guilty. "Don't worry, Star. Raven will fix it. It's already starting." Robin sent her a smile, before frowning at the door again. He'd been right to send Raven after him before, but this time, she'd gone on her own. What was going on between those two?

…


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3. Brothers.**

Raven and Beast Boy had fallen into a rather pleasant habit, at least in his opinion. She would join him every day, on top of the same building. He had to admit that the first couple of days had been rather unnerving, with her presence always so brooding and quiet, it almost made him nervous. He talked, mostly trying to make jokes or remembering something about Terra and she would listen, almost never responding, unless it was with her usual dry humour.

Today he was once again trying to make her laugh.

"So the nun goes inside the bathroom-," he was saying, his feet hanging from the building's side next to her. She was sitting in her usual lotus position, her legs peeking out of her cloak, hood down and her eyes fixed on the school below them as he spoke.

"Why is the nun near a Hooters to begin with?" she asked in a stoic voice, making him roll his eyes,

"That's not important! What's important is-"

"In stories, the characters need to have motivations for their actions, each scene needs to have a reason to exist."

Beast Boy let out a frustrated breath, "This isn't a story! It's a joke!"

Raven raised an eyebrow, "What's the difference?"

He was getting really annoyed by her attitude, "There's a huge difference! Jokes aren't- well, they aren't books. They are just jokes! The motivations aren't important." He shook his head, "Anyway, as soon as the nun goes in, the entire bar cheers as the lights go out."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do they cheer?"

"I can't tell you that yet!"

"Why not?"

"It's got something to do with the punch line."

"So?"

"So I can't tell the punch line before the joke is over! It ruins the entire thing."

"That can only happen if the joke is humorous to begin with."

"Har har."

She smiled, "See? THAT was humorous."

"What do you know about-" He sighed in defeat, "Will you let me tell the joke or not?"

"Carry on."

Beast Boy sent her a glare before continuing. "So they cheer, right? The bartender tells the nun ' There's a naked statue inside the bathroom. You can't go there!' and the nun goes 'I don't care'. So she goes inside-"

"Why is that important?"

"It- it's important. It's part of the joke. See? This IS a Hooters."

"Is there such statue in every Hooters?"

"I- ah- I don't know."

"Because if there is, then it's common knowledge. Then the joke would be specifically made for those who frequent Hooters."

"But what if someone who doesn't is hearing the joke?"

"Then they aren't the targets."

"Gah! You're taking this way too seriously. Just let me finish."

"Okay."

He glared at her for a moment before continuing, "So the nun goes inside and sees the statue is covered by a leaf, right?"

"You said it was naked."

"It is."

"Wearing a leaf isn't naked."

"Oh come on!"

"Alright. Go on."

"So when she goes out, everyone cheers as the light goes off again."

"Why?"

"Will you just let me finish? So the bartender says 'You're one of us now.' And the nun goes like-"

"Why can't you just say 'she says'."

"Because this isn't a book. We're just talking! That's the beauty of joking! I told you it's not supposed to be serious."

"I can see how that would ruin the purpose, but I would go back to the point of the joke having to be humorous."

"Right. So the bartender says-"

"The nun was speaking first."

"Ah! That's true."

"You're not good at this, are you?"

"I would be if you stopped interrupting me!"

"That hasn't helped before."

"Just shut up and let me finish. So the nun goes like 'Why?' and the bartender tells her 'because every time someone peeks under the leaf, the lights go out."

Beast Boy grinned, waiting for Raven to react, but the girl looked at him with a bored expression, her lips still in their usual thin line. "It's funny!" he insisted after her eyes went passively back at the school. Raven raised an eyebrow, looking at him sideways, "A nun watching a statue's penis is funny?"

"It's a nun!" he said as if that explained the whole thing.

"So?"

"So nuns aren't supposed to be curious about penises. You know about that!" Raven sent him a glare. "Why would you think that?"

"Well… because it's YOU!" She huffed, blowing her hair out of her face, her eyes focusing on the school below.

Garfield leaned back, raising an eyebrow at her. What? Did that mean she did think about those things? He knew Raven had a heart, sure, but he never imagined she had, well, that she was a female. The green titan turned to her, watching her profile. He had to admit she was very pretty, if you were into Goth chicks. Her pale skin contrasted with her dark hair, waving in the slight wind. He raised an eyebrow as he realized this was the first time he ever thought about Raven this way. Was her skin always this pale? Had her eyes always been dark blue? Had her upper lip always been slightly fuller than her lower lip? He gulped once he realized he'd been staring at her lips. "Rae-" he started saying, but the bell rang below them and that brought back why he was sitting here, in front of that school.

"There she is." he said excitedly, before his grin dropped to a frown. "What the hell?" Garfield stared as a girl with long blonde hair walked outside the building, holding hands with one of the male students. Tara was laughing at something the boy was saying. They looked so… happy…

"Just because you're willing to give up your life for her, doesn't mean she's meant to do the same for you." Said Raven in her usual stoic voice, before standing up. "Are we going to follow them?"

Beast Boy who was still staring down at the couple snapped out of his shock and started to nod, but still seemed as sad as ever. "I-yeah- Yes. Of course." Raven stared at him for a moment, expressionless as always, but she felt the waves of emotion coming from him. As if she didn't have enough reasons to hate Terra. Only that selfish girl would break Garfield's heart twice without knowing it.

"Let's go." she said, already floating to follow the two figures walking down the street. Garfield nodded slowly, before turning into a bird. This was wrong. So very wrong.

…

"Do you want to… talk about it?" "No." "You've always said it's good to discuss emotions." "Not now, Rae." "Okay."

The two titans were entering the tower together, far earlier than previous days. They were already discussing, with Beast Boy's pent up energy making a mess of his emotions. Terra was with someone else. Of course she was. Tara was beautiful, with long blonde hair and the palest blue eyes. She could have any guy she wanted, so it wasn't a surprise that she would have the attention of other boys in school. He just never thought she would actually agree to go out with one of them. Even if the guy was stupid, ugly and annoying as hell. What was she doing with someone like that anyway?

Without saying any more, Beast Boy moved away from Raven, walking down the hallways and losing himself in its darkness. She heard a door open and she knew he'd gone hide in his room. Much more her style than his.

She sighed, knowing full well how he was feeling. The day had been awful. She never thought there would be a moment where she'll miss his jokes, but his silence today had been dreadful. He didn't complain, or said much about the guy dating Tara at all, but she somewhat knew what was going through his mind. They'd watched for some time, before Garfield let out an anguish yell, turned into a bird, and flew away from the scene. She followed, of course, but didn't attempt to talk to him until he was human again and entering the tower. Not that had resulted in anything good

"You're back early." said Robin as he walked down the hallway. "What's wrong with Beast Boy? I can hear him destroying his punching bag." His tone turned sombre, "It's not the beast again, is it?" Raven shook her head, dismissing this as a problem with Beast Boy's powers. "We saw Tara today." Robin raised an eyebrow, since the two saw Tara everyday anyway. "She was on a date." "Oh." Robin's face broke in realization, before turning his eyes back at the hallway. Muffled angry sounds were coming from Beast Boy's room, and they could easily hear the fabric tearing from his punching bag. At least they hoped it was the punching bag.

"He's not taking it well." added Raven in a monotone. Not well was an understatement, given the anguish scream that followed a crash. "Excuse me." The empath walked toward the hallway, slowly, leaving Robin to stare after her. For a moment there, the team leader thought she was going to Beast Boy, try to calm him down, but he heard a door open and close and knew she was just going to hide in her room as well.

Robin sighed, running his fingers through his hair. Things weren't going well.

….

"Titans, GO!"

They didn't have time to dwell, because just a couple of hours after Raven and Beast Boy got in the tower, the alarm went off and the titans were required. Someone was trying to steal something in a laboratory, and it didn't take a genius to figure out who.

"You sound so lame when you yell that out." teased Red X as he was caught red handed, a metal suitcase in his hand. It also didn't take a genius to figure out what was inside the case.

"Give that Xenothium back!" yelled out Robin, moving toward him, closely followed by his team. X leaned over the rail of the catwalk he was standing on. "Has that ever worked before? Like, have you said that and a criminal has actually dropped whatever he was stealing?"

"No." said a voice behind him, "But some have give up after seeing me!" Raven was behind X now, having used a portal to get to him first, her eyes going red and four? "Woah. That's not a good look for you." said X, before jumping down to the ground and avoiding a black tentacle that had been reaching for him.

Cyborg was there, waiting for him, his stretched out arm turning into a weapon. "Haven't you learned already?" said X with mirth, "I'm good with machines." He avoided a blue blast, before throwing something at Cyborg. The half machine got electrified, flinching and twisting until whatever X had thrown at him stopped working. Cyborg merely dropped to the floor, unconscious.

"Cyborg!" yelped out Starfire, flying toward him, but then X threw a smoke bomb, making all the titans stop. When the smoke disappeared, he was gone.

"Titans!" yelled out Robin, "Spread! Don't let him get out of here with that xenothium." "What about Cy?" Asked Beast Boy, already by his best friend's side, looking down at him worriedly.

"Leave him." ordered Robin, much to Garfield's disappointment, "X doesn't kill. He'll be fine. Let' go!"

And with that, two teams spread, Beast Boy and Raven going left, and Robin and Starfire going right.

…

"Stay low." warned Raven, "He could be around here somewhere." Beast Boy was a dog at the moment, sniffing around to find some sort of scent on X. He could smell him everywhere.

They were silent for the time being, Raven floating, looking around to catch any movement on the upper catwalks, and Beast Boy covering the ground. She was still nervous about what had happened earlier that day and wondered if Beast Boy was up to catch the thief. He hadn't said much and had acted normally, but he also didn't crack any jokes or tried to make any smart remarks about X. That worried her more than if he had yelled out.

"Rae!" She heard him scream, as he was pushed back by something. Apparently, X had caught him by surprise, letting him step on a ground mine and sending the green titan flying until he crashed on top of some medical equipment.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zy- MMHHPH!" Raven had started her chant as soon as she saw X's figure, but he threw a red x at her, covering her mouth. Raven fell to the ground, trying desperately to pull the sticky substance from her lips. It was far too glued to her skin and she was getting desperate.

"You look far prettier like this." said X and she noticed he was getting closer. Raven glared at him, unable to use her powers without her chant in fear of losing control. "Aw, got nothing to say? And here I was hoping you would say yes when I ask you ou-OOF"

Out of nowhere a green bull hit him straight on the chest, pushing him away from Raven. Beast Boy transformed back to himself, glaring down at the criminal. "Scum." he said, turning into a gorilla, intending to hit him again, but when he looked X was nowhere to be found.

"Is that the best you can come up with?" asked X from a catwalk, grinning down at him. Before he knew what was happening though, something kicked him from behind. Raven was standing there, her cloak gone, standing in position. She knew she wasn't as good as Robin at this, far too used to using her powers, but that didn't mean she was completely helpless.

"What a pleasant surprise." said X as he landed on the ground, "I think I like you even more now." He didn't have much time to crack any more jokes, because the green gorilla was trying to punch him and he had to run away. Just as he did so, Raven jumped down from the catwalk, before trying to kick him again. He swiftly dodged her leg, before pushing the one on the ground. Down she went, falling on her back. Beast Boy was there next, turning into a wolf, growling and trying to bite him, but X was as fast and good as Robin. Still, he knew there was no way he could defeat these two.

"Catch!" he yelled out as he sent more red substance toward the wolf. The animal yelped, turning mid push, landing straight on Raven as the girl stood, holding her head and groaning in pain. Before they knew it, the two were tightly tied together by a giant X.

"How many times am I going to get you two with the same trick?" said X as he walked toward them to see his handiwork. He almost laughed at what he found. Raven was on her back, yelps muffled from her covered lips, with Beast Boy's head pressed against her chest, blushing deeply, trying to get away, but being held in place by the X.

"Aren't you the lucky one?" joked X, leaning on a pillar casually. "You're welcome." he added, before running away and leaving the two to themselves. Only two more Titans to go.

…

"Do you see Red X?" asked Starfire, floating around the storage room they were in. She tried to see in the darkness, but X's outfit made it hard to be noticed among the shadows and she didn't have Beast Boy's ability of enhanced senses.

"No, but we have to find him. This is the last time he hurts our friends." Robin was particularly angry and Starfire noticed. She blinked down at her team leader, wondering what he'd figured out that had him so distressed. "Robin, you-" "Hello, cutie." She gasped as she stopped suddenly, finding Red X leaning over a tower of crates.

"You will not disrespect me anymore!" Starfire's eyes glowed green as well as her fists, and she suddenly flew toward the thief, intending to punch him. Instead, she managed to hit the crates under him.

Robin tried hitting him once he was on the ground, but he was avoided smoothly. "So glad this plan worked to get your attention, kid. But you're still not good enough to get me." He was hit straight on the chest after that and Robin smirked down at him cockily. "Don't get so cocky. I'm still older and better." His feet were kicked under him and he was on the ground, before being pulled up by his cape by X. "Older doesn't mean better." Said X turning around.

Before Robin knew what was happening, he was grabbed on the back. "'Sup'." said X lightly as a red x engulfed the two together. "We need to talk." added the thief casually, as if he wasn't about to steal all that xenothium.

"You will not get him!" screamed out Starfire, placing both fist together, pointing them at both X and Robin. X seemed amused by the whole thing, "Wow. You know you can hit both of us like that, right?" That made her stop powering up, looking worriedly at Robin. "Starfire! Just get him!" Robin yelled out, trying hard to get away from X but failing, "Don't worry about me!" The alien nodded at her team leader, her eyes glowing green again. Just as X noticed she wouldn't stop even if Robin was in the way, X dropped him, letting the titan fall back to the floor.

Starfire tried to get him, but he was just too fast. Before she knew it, X had disappeared. "Where are you?" she screamed out, her eyes glowing green, but then she felt a sudden hit on her neck and collapsed to the floor.

"Starfire!" screamed out Robin, trying to run toward her, but stopped suddenly as he noticed X was standing just by her. X was grinning at Robin, before leaning down to watch the girl. "Cute." he said, as if they weren't just fighting. "Is she your girl or something? Because we both know she could do MUCH better." Robin gritted his teeth before attacking. "Get away from her!"

X jumped out of the way as Robin's boomerang landed on the floor where he'd been standing. "Come on, kid!" he said teasingly, "We're brothers! And I'm not the bad guy here. We both know who that one is." Robin gritted his teeth, running toward him, pulling out his fighting staff, "We're NOT brothers!" He yelled as he tried to land a blow on X, but the thief just jumped out of the way. "And you ARE the bad guy!" Once again X jumped out of the way, landing on his feet a few meters away from Robin.

"So much hatred." said Red X, and Robin could almost see the grin behind his mask. "Don't get me wrong, I getcha." Robin threw a few bombs his way, but X pulled out some sort of shield, a huge red X blocking them, so Robin had to be the one to jump this time. "No one can get you like I can. I too was taught things were white and black." Robin yelled out, as he tried to kick X, but he was just as fast, so it missed.

"Let me tell you something," said X, as he landed, "They're not. And it's better you learn this now before you end up like I did." Robin gritted his teeth, sending the thief a glare. "Shut up!" he screamed out as he returned to attacking him. "What do you know about me? What do you know about him? You're nothing but a copy, someone to fill in when I left the position." X huffed, actually mad at the implication. "I am NOT you. He never understood that. I am my own person." Robin smirked as soon as he noticed the thief's anger. "Well, you sure have a weird way of showing it." said the titan's leader, standing straight, "How many suits are you going to steal before you find a persona of your own?" X's eyes widened under his mask, before he glared at Robin. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

X had enough. He pressed a button on his suit. "This is not over." he managed to say just before disappearing, leaving the titan leader to stare at the spot he'd been standing on. "I'll be ready." said Robin, before turning to tend Starfire.

…

"Well, this is awkward." Beast Boy tried to sound light, still blushing, making Raven look down at him and glare. She couldn't say anything and he tried to smile, but he sighed, letting his head fall on her chest again. It wasn't like he was about to complain about being in this position, but the timing was bad. He was aware, though, that if he hadn't seen Terra with that boy before, he would be thinking very different things right then.

"Mhmm ngh." Said Raven, managing to sound stoic despite being unable to speak and Beast Boy nodded. "Alright, I'll try." With that, he turned into a tiny kitten, but the substance around them was sticking to his fur, reducing its size and keeping the two tied. Raven rolled her eyes. Of course, just her luck. Next Beast Boy tried a hippo, but his weight was too much for Raven who tried getting out of under him desperately. The red x just stretched around the hippo, not breaking like he'd been expecting. Garfield turned back to his usual form, his head pressed against her once more. There was silence between the two, with Beast Boy listening to Raven's heartbeat and Raven trying to have some control over her emotions.

"She's moved on." Garfield said finally, feeling far more relaxed now. Maybe this was what he needed, some human contact, even if it was forced upon them. Raven said nothing, not just because she couldn't but also because she didn't know what to say. Beast Boy sighed, moving his head slightly, before blushing. He felt his instincts kicking in, hoping to be petted, like a cat rubbing against a person to ask for caresses. But this was Raven and he was sure she would kill him if he started to get cosy, so he continued to speak of the one person that could make him focus away from the girl under him: Terra.

"I didn't know… I mean, I never thought she would find someone else." Garfield sighed, turning against Raven to look at her face. Her expression was still the same as always, if not annoyed to be in this position, but now, with her lips covered, he could focus on the emotion in her eyes. It was like she was answering back. _I'm sorry._ And he nodded, before turning his head to the side, relaxing once more.

"Is it selfish? To be… I mean, I'm still willing to protect her but she… she's never coming back, is she? It doesn't matter what I do, she'll never come back to me and I-" He sighed again, falling silent, unsure of what to do to make things better. He felt Raven relax under him and he turned once again to stare up at the empath. She seemed to be smiling, even if he could only see her eyes. _It's all going to be alright._ He nodded and smiled back. "I hope so…" She had such pretty eyes.

He blushed and looked down, hiding his face in the only place he could. Raven wiggled under him, complaining against the confining X on her mouth, making him turn to the side once again, laughing awkwardly, blushing red, "Sorry…" He was unsure of what to say now, knowing full well he was taking advantage of their situation. But she was just so warm and right there, and he'd been dying for some sort of contact with another human being, and Raven, despite being an awesome friend, wasn't exactly fond of hugging.

"Raven, I-"

Someone coughed behind them, making Beast Boy to look up as well as he could. "Cy!" He said happily, watching the half robot walk toward them. "Am I interrupting something?" He asked, smiling easily, though his robotic eye was twitching as sparks appeared at random on that side of his face. X had left him pretty bad. His word earned him a glare from Raven, as she wiggled under Beast Boy, trying to talk but her words muffled. It was obvious she wanted to get out of there.

It wasn't long until both Titans were free, thanks to Cyborg's unnatural strength. Raven was rubbing her lips, now bright red after having the X on her face tore harshly by Cyborg.

"Where's X?" she asked, looking up at Cyborg, but he just shrugged, trying to get rid of the big X that was now on his hand like scotch tape. "Not sure. I went here first. But I didn't see Rob or Star on my way here. Maybe they got him." Raven's eyes narrowed. "They didn't."

She was looking at someone over his shoulder and both Cyborg and Beast Boy turned to see Robin walking toward them with Starfire leaning on his shoulder, holding her head in pain. As soon as he was standing before them he took a serious expression.

"We need to talk."

…


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4. Possibilities**

"Your brother?" asked Starfire, looking up at Robin with wide, innocent eyes. Robin sighed, leaning over the screen in the computer room. Right there was an old picture of a very young Jason Todd, smiling widely in his Robin outfit. A much different, much more childish outfit than the current Robin was wearing. Next to that picture was the one of Rex X, captured by some security camera. There was a count of DNA, courtesy of Batman and it was obvious there was something going on between Robin and his surrogate father.

The Titans had gone back to the tower to settle down. They were all there, listening for the first time about Robin's latest little project. Raven was leaning against a machine, her arms crossed and her cloak gone, forgotten in the laboratory. Beast Boy was there, still blushing about what had happened before, but trying hard to focus on the task at hand. Cyborg was sitting next to a table, one arm gone and placed on top of the table, while he leaned and fixed it, his robotic eye still randomly letting out sparkles.

"He's NOT my brother." said Robin angrily, turning to glare at the alien girl. She almost yelped at his tone and Raven was the one to step in, glaring at her leader. "I don't consider Trigon my father," she said, "It doesn't make it any less true." Richard Grayson sighed, giving his back to his team, leaning over the desk in front of the screen.

"Man, I was right!" Beast Boy said lightly, moving to sit next to Star to give her a reassuring smile. "No wonder he was always mad when I mentioned it." Cyborg stood from his spot, adjusting his newly fixed arm. "Not that we didn't imagine it before. You couldn't tell it was him, Rave?"

Raven frowned, her gaze fixed on the screen. "I never met Jason before his death." she explained, deep in thought, "I did feel many things from him, but nothing unusual in other criminals."

Robin turned finally, looking as serious as ever. "Red X-" he started saying, but was interrupted by Beast Boy, "Jason…" he said with a slight grin, still proud that he'd called it first. "That is NOT Jason. Not the Jason we knew. That is-" Robin stopped his angry rant, before slamming a fist against the table, then straightening his back, trying to control his emotions "Red X is trying to find enough Xenothium to attack one target in particular." He pressed a button and the screen changed. Starfire couldn't help the gasp that left her as soon as she saw the screen.

"Joker." Robin said bitterly, his eyes narrowing at the green haired man on the screen. "Batman warned me about this. Jason will try to recruit those the Joker had hurt in order to take him down, me included."

Starfire was curious though, "What did the Joker do to you, Robin?" Dick was quiet for a moment, glaring at the screen. "He hurt a dear friend." was all he said, before clearing his throat and looking up at the titans. "It doesn't matter, because we won't let him get the Xenothium. It's obvious where he'll strike next: Jump City's Research and Development department." He pressed a button and the screen changed to show a picture of the building, it's blueprints next.

"We don't know when he'll strike, but we'll be ready when he does." Robin sighed, leaning over the table again. It was obvious to the other titans that their leader was taking this mission personally. "Dismissed."

The other titans were moving out, except for Starfire who flew toward Robin, placing a hand on his shoulder. Raven looked back, noticing the waves of affection coming from the two, her expression unchanging, before going out the room, giving them the privacy they needed.

"Rae?" she heard someone call, and she turned to find Beast Boy waiting for her. Cyborg was walking ahead of them, not looking back, but frowning down at his newly fixed arm. It was obvious he was going to the workshop to fix the rest of himself.

"Yes?" asked Raven, raising an eyebrow. Waves of anxiousness came from Beast Boy as he struggled to say something. She was patient enough to let him make up his mind on what he wanted to say, but the confusion she felt was enough to let her know he didn't even know what to say.

"Do you want to… talk?" she tried helping, and Garfield turned to smile gratefully at her, before nodding. "I know it's late but… well, do you mind?" She smiled gently instead of answering, before moving ahead of him. He wasn't sure of how to take that smile, but still followed her.

"I just- I just wanted to-" "Not here." Raven interrupted as he started talking midway. Beast Boy blinked at her before nodding. The two walked out of the dark tower, until both were outside, right on the training course. Raven moved ahead and he followed her with his eyes. She still was uncloaked and wondered for a second there if she was cold. Raven was just so small she looked like she was cold all the time. Was that why she wore that cloak and such long sleeves? At least she left her legs uncovered… and why was he staring at her legs again?

"You wanted to talk?" he heard her ask and he blinked at the girl as she sat down on the rocks. Beast Boy shook his head before grinning awkwardly and moving to sit beside her. He gave her a sad smile before turning to see the waves of the ocean.

"Last time we were here, it was when we talked of the beast." he noticed, his eyes still fixed on the horizon. Jump City's lights reflected on the sea, the light moving with the waves. This would be considered pretty, even romantic, had it been at a different time. He looked down at his lap, his sadness returning as he remembered why he wanted to talk to her in the first place.

"You must think I'm an idiot." he said, looking down at his lap. "Of course." was her answer and he turned to give her a grim look. Raven just smiled back gently, "But that has nothing to do with what happened today. I've always had that impression of you since I met you." He sent her a playful glare before turning his attention back to the waves. He didn't know what else to say, since his chest hurt every time he even thought about Tara and that boy. "He's lame, right?" Raven raised an eyebrow, wondering who he was referring to, "That guy. He seems lame." Oh, him. The empath's eyes left his face to stare at the crashing waves below them. "He's not you." she said instead of answering his question, pulling her knees up and resting her arms on them, before leaning her chin on her arms. The position just made her look smaller. Beast Boy smiled gratefully, wondering how was it that she always knew exactly what to say to make him feel better. He had to admit, all those days she'd spent next to him, never questioning his motivations, never calling him an idiot for being there, even if he was sure she was thinking of it, had made him see Raven as what she truly was: a loyal and helpful friend.

"His jokes were lame." And she smiled gently, "The lamest." she agreed, her eyes sad. "And he's not as handsome as me." he was pushing it, he knew it, but then Raven turned to stare at him, her smile still in place, "Not even close." Despite it being said with her usual monotone, almost jokingly, he found himself blushing and surprised. He hadn't expected her to agree with that, so he turned his gaze back at the sea nervously.

"Do you think…" he started but then his nervousness got the best of him. What was he going to ask anyway? He already knew the answer to the main question: Terra was never going to go back. Even if he could, making her remember would be the bad call, right? It would be selfish, and he just couldn't do it. Raven must've felt his confusion, because she spoke next, answering exactly what he'd been wondering.

"Love is not selfish." she was saying, her eyes fixed on the sea. "As good as having your feelings reciprocated is, the harsh truth is that loving someone means you have to let them do what will make them happy. Sometimes that will be being with you, but most of the time, it isn't. And that's just what love is. It's about letting go…" She turned her eyes to him, her expression unreadable and he couldn't help but stare at her, "It's about standing by when the person you love is being happy with someone else." He blinked, wondering, just for a second, if she was speaking of herself. But then she continued, her eyes turning back to the ocean and he sighed, looking down at his hand, wondering if she would get mad at him if he hugged her. "Terra might never remember you, but the fact that you've still protected her after so long shows how much you care for her." He sighed, looking away, "That sounds far too tragic." And she smiled bitterly, knowing full well how he felt. "It is. It doesn't mean it's not worth it." He let out a bitter laugh, picking up a stone. He stared at it, wondering if he should throw it to the water, make it jump like he had when he'd sat here with Terra so many months ago. How long had it been since then? More than a year? Maybe two? Time really had gone by…

He was shocked to see a hand over his as he'd been staring down at the rock and he looked up to see Raven staring at him, her pale, tiny hand over his. "Terra might never come back to you," she said, her expression serious, "But we will always be here with you. Don't forget that." And he smiled gratefully. Of course they would. Robin would always be there to scold him when he needed it, Star would always be there to hug him and be supportive, Cyborg would always be there to make him smile and get excited over silly things and Raven… He turned to look at her eyes. Raven would always be there to listen to him.

"You're cold." He noticed, looking down at her hand again. She felt like ice against his own warm skin, and he moved to throw the stone to the ground, before grabbing her hand between his two larger ones. Raven's eyes widened as he leaned down to blow warm air at them. "We should go inside. Don't want to face Robin when I bring in a Raven shaped popsicle." He gave her a smile before letting go of her hand and moving already. The empath stared after him, her expression unreadable, but her hand feeling much warmer than it had before.

"You coming, or what?" he called for her and she slowly moved to follow him back inside, wondering if he had any idea what he was doing to her.

…

The next day, Raven had over slept. It was not surprising, considering how late all of them had gone home, and then she'd spent some good time taking to Beast Boy. She moved slowly out of bed, still in her uniform, before turning to look at herself in the mirror. She sighed when she noticed the dark circles under her eyes. They were going to have to stay up late today too, she knew, considering how obsessed Robin was, particularly with anything that had to do with his past. The empath reached for a brush and started to tame her messy hair. It was going to be a long day…

When she got out of her room, her hair still damp from her shower, she was wearing her usual uniform, cloak included. She walked slowly, her muscles still sore from the night before. She was going to have to train a bit her one to one combat skills, just in case what happened last night repeated itself. If Red X had targeted her lips, it meant he knew about her powers and her chant. Not that it was that difficult to figure out, considering how many times before they'd fought.

"You're going down!" "Dream on, green grass!"

Raven's eyes widened as she heard Beast Boy's voice coming from the living room. She hurried down the hallway, just to make sure she wasn't imagining it. There he was, playing against Cyborg, laughing and smiling as always. She smiled gently at the sight, before moving to the kitchen, intending to drink some tea.

"Good morning, friend Raven." greeted Starfire, eating what appeared to be one of her home world's dishes. "If you're feeling hungry, I have prepared a traditional _gollan_ breakfast dish! The displeasing taste combined with its spiciness is meant to wake you up in times when the sleep goes over." Apparently, it wasn't missed that she'd overslept. Raven shook her head at the offer, pouring herself some tea. "That's okay, Starfire. I'm good."

The empath turned to the two on the living room, slowly sipping her tea. She'd thought Beast Boy had left without her, gone to protect Terra once again, but there he was, playing as if nothing had happened. Perhaps his feelings weren't as deep as he thought. Or maybe that was just her own hope tricking her.

"Where's Robin?" she asked Starfire and the alien girl sighed before smiling sadly. "Still in the laboratory. He didn't stop researching all night. I was thinking of bringing him some of my _gollan_ to make him feel better." Raven smiled down at the girl. "I think he'll like that." With that, Starfire grinned widely, before grabbing her plate and flying away, down the hallway and, Raven was sure, towards the lab.

"No! NO NO NO NO!" Beast Boy stood, smashing the buttons of his control widely, before Cyborg yelled out "YES!" He raised his arms above his head in triumph, "Thank you, thank you!" he added, as if he was listening to cheers around him.

Raven couldn't help but smile at the sight, feeling at peace, despite the impending doom getting closer. Jason Todd wasn't something they needed now, not when Beast Boy was having so many troubles to deal with. But when had life ever been nice to any of them? The empath got closer to the couch, moving to sit next to the green man.

"No fair, dude! You totally cheated!" Beast Boy sent a glare to Cyborg, though she could tell he was still friendly. "I did not cheat, B-man." replied Cyborg indignantly, "You just suck at this game. You know what it is. Dishes AND laundry all week." Beast Boy grumbled under his breath, glaring at the screen as if it was the one at fault.

"How about you Rae?" he said finally, turning to the empath and grinning. "Let's play. If I win you do the dishes AND laundry." Raven frowned at him, and he knew already she was going to refuse. But then she added, "And if I win?" she asked instead, raising an eyebrow, her face stoic. He blinked in surprise, before wondering what he could give her. "I'll take you out on a date." He said finally, leaning on her, an arm surrounding her shoulders and waving his eyebrows. She didn't look amused. "I'm supposed to win something here. Not lose." And he frowned, his arm dropping from her. "So mean." he said, making Cyborg laugh loudly.

"You could get him to clean your room." suggested the half robot but Raven just snorted. "I don't trust him in my room." Beast Boy frowned again, leaning back. "Oh, come on, dude! You two are teaming up against me!" He crossed his arms, pouting childishly and his expression made Raven smile again.

"Just admit it, BB," stared Cyborg, holding his head up with his hands as he leaned back further into the couch, "You have nothing Raven could want." Garfield blinked in surprise at his friend. Even though Cyborg had said the words lightly, meaning to make a joke, they still managed to hurt Beast Boy. He turned his green eyes to the girl sitting beside him as she stared at him blankly. He truly didn't have or could do anything that would make Raven happy, did he? He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Then why was she always so nice to him?

"You can make me laugh." He blinked at her, unable to hide his surprise. "What?" he said, wondering if he'd heard right. "What?" repeated Cyborg, leaning over Beast Boy to look at Raven. Surely she was joking, but then again, when did Raven ever joke?

"If I win, you have to make me laugh." Cyborg laughed, obviously thinking it was a joke. "That's a double bet!" he said, "Good one, Rave! Even if you win, he still won't be able to do that." But Raven was still staring at Beast Boy defiantly and the green man let out a snort. "Easy as pie. Not that I'll need to. I'm still going to kick your ass."

Raven smiled as her dare was accepted, before Cyborg moved to hand her his control. "You just press A to accelerate and B to break. The joystick moves the car around. Be careful on curves since this car in particular goes fast but loses stability. Good luck." And then, with a wide grin, and a very dramatic hand wave he added, "Let the games BEGIN!"

And so they did.

Beast Boy was confident that he was going to win, especially so since Raven was still a beginner and he'd been playing this game with Cyborg for far too long. His car moved skillfully, also wanting to show off a bit. He couldn't let a beginner, much less a girl, much less Raven beat him in his own game. That would be totally wrong and lame! But Raven was doing well. She didn't lose control of her car, going slow and steady. She didn't try to take any boosts, but that didn't mean she was too far behind from Beast Boy. He tried to look at her for a moment and was surprised to find her face serious in concentration, her eyes never leaving the screen. She really wanted to win this, right? Even if the prize was something as lame as making her laugh. And how exactly was he going to do that? His lips pursed, as he'd already set his mind to make her laugh as often as possible and yet failing every single time he'd tried. The goal was near, despite Raven following him close behind. There was no way he would lose the game anyway, so there was no need for him to-

"DUDE! WHAT THE HELL?!" Beast Boy jumped, dropping the control as Cyborg placed a wet finger inside his ear. The half bot laughed loudly, holding his stomach, fully aware that he'd made his friend lose this battle. With that, Raven's car went past the green one, now static, and won the race.

She placed the control neatly on the table near them, before turning to smirk at Beast Boy. "No fair! You two cheated!" Cyborg was still laughing as Beast Boy tried to get rid of the wet sensation in his ear. "I didn't cheat." said Raven, looking far too proud of herself, despite her monotonous voice. "That was Cyborg."

The bot grinned at Beast Boy, feeling proud of himself, making the green man glare at him. "You two are against me! I can't deal with this. My best friend and my-" Raven raised an eyebrow at him, as he tried to find a word to describe her, "Other best friend." he settled with a smile, one that she returned.

"Aw, man." was saying Cyborg while standing up, "This was precious. But I'm out and beat. I'm gonna go make myself some waffles. You want some?" Raven, who was in a particular good mood, nodded at her friend and he grinned back widely. "A hell lot of waffles, coming right up!"

She turned to see Beast Boy was still glaring at her. "What?" she asked, as innocently as she could, and he waved his arms out childishly. "It's not fair! This is the first time you play and Cyborg was the one who made me lose! We should have a rematch." "I don't want a rematch." "Oh come on! My manly pride is hurt here! At least let me beat you once." Raven smiled, "Perhaps next time." With that, she stood, moving to help Cyborg with breakfast.

Beast Boy blinked at her in surprise. There was going to be a next time? He grinned as the thought sunk in, before jumping over the couch to get to them. "I want vegan waffles!" he yelled out, making Cyborg groan. "I am NOT making those."

…

"Robin?" called Starfire, peeking inside the dark room. Many screens were on, focusing on different things. She walked inside slowly, looking around, before placing her dish on one of the tables. The Joker appeared in some screens and she leaned closer to look at the man. He didn't seem all that dangerous, and she didn't understand what the fuss was about. The man was mad, sure, but just a man. How could just a man be able to do so many horrible things?

"Starfire." She turned toward the voice. There he was, robin, rubbing his eyes, his mask in his other hand. "I brought you some breakfast." she said, her voice shy, unsure if she should interrupt his work. "It's a traditional Tamarian dish. It's supposed to wake you up." She walked toward him, leaving the dish behind; looking at him shyly "Is everything… alright?" She asked, before leaning over him to see what he'd been working on.

His desk was covered with different things. A huge blue print of the laboratories they would be visiting that night took most of the space. There were notes all about, with post its indicating traps and gadgets in different rooms. Apart from that, the desk had different pictures, some of Jason, some of Red X, a couple of the Joker and one of someone she didn't recognize.

"Who is this?" she wondered, pointing at the red-haired girl in the picture. Robin placed his mask back in place, before moving the pictures around, to hide the one that'd been pointed at. "A friend." was all he said as an explanation, before leaning back on his chair, looking up at Starfire. He managed a small smile, taking some comfort in her presence.

"You don't need to do this alone, Robin." she told him, leaning to gently caress the side of his face. He sighed, before nodding. "It's my responsibility." he said but his voice sounded weak, tired, and it made her frown.

"I do not understand why you would go to such limits to protect a man that has done nothing but ruin your life and the life of others." she said, sending a glare at the screen with the Joker's picture. A mad man, certainly, but if anyone asked her, she could agree that the world would be a better place without him.

"That's how Jason thinks." said Robin, before running a hand through his hair. "But we don't do that. We don't kill." Starfire looked down at him with a frown, "HE doesn't kill. You're different." Robin let out a bitter laugh, "Am I? Because from my perspective, he might as well killed so many he's hurt before." He sent a glare to the Joker's picture, knowing full well things would've been far easier if the man had died before.

"You wouldn't hurt your brothers as much as he's hurt you both." she said, before moving to sit on his lap. Robin's eyes widened under his mask, but let her get closer. "You're a warm and good person. You would never go so low." She was smiling proudly and he didn't stop her when she leaned down and kissed him.

"This isn't the right time." he whispered after a while, making her stand up and nod. "I agree." she said, wearing her easy smile. "Then we'll do this after." He must have blushed under his mask because she giggled at the expression he was giving her. "You should try and eat your breakfast. It might help you feel better." And with that, she floated away, leaving Robin to stare after her.

…

"So I said, 'I'm gonna go stand outside. If anyone asks, I'm 'outstanding'." Garfield laughed loudly at his own joke, but stopped as soon as Raven sent him a glare. "Oh come on! Outstanding? Standing outside? You get it!" "I got it. I just didn't think it was funny."

Beast Boy sighed, looking up in disappear. "How am I supposed to make you laugh if you don't even try?!" he asked his teammate, making her turn to smile at him her usual tiny smile. "That's your problem. You're the one who lost the bet." He groaned, scratching his head. He'd tried EVERY joke he knew and still he didn't even manage to get a tiny smile.

Raven moved before him, walking slowly as she looked around the place. They'd all gone their separate ways once they got inside the laboratories they were supposed to be looking after, but since Beast Boy still had a bet to pay, he followed Raven to keep telling her jokes.

He frowned at her back as she slowly walked through the many glass structures, each holding a different colored liquid. "I still don't think it's fair how you won the bet." She turned to smile over her shoulder and his eyes widened in surprise. Was it just he or was she smiling far more often lately? "You were the one who made the bet. Besides, making me laugh can't be harder than doing the dishes for a week." "AND Cyborg's laundry." added Beast Boy with a pained expression, rolling his eyes dramatically. "Totally unfair."

She smiled again before turning back at the job at hand. They'd been here for at least two hours and still no sign of X. She was beginning to think the thief wasn't going to show up, at least not that night.

Beast Boy was starting to get bored, plus he was running out of jokes. "Why are ducks always so happy?" Raven sighed, turning back at him, "Because they're always quaking jokes." she replied without missing a beat. "You're starting to repeat yourself." Beast Boy scratched his head, "Not my fault you don't even smile to anything." "You just need to try harder." Oh, she was such a tease! Beast Boy grinned at her as she turned her back to him, returning to the job at hand.

Raven's expression turned serious once again, as she looked up at the roof curiously. The place was bright and far too white for her taste. She almost pulled the cloak on to hide her face, considering how unappealing such a bright place was to her. She used her hand to block the bright light, to see what was up there. Just more tanks, all of them full with the usual red substance: Xenothium.

"I know how to make you laugh." Said Garfield behind her, making her turn to him once again, smiling gently. But then she lost the smile as soon as she saw his expression. He was smirking mischievously, walking toward her, looking very much like a lion stalking its prey. "What are you-?" Before she could even finish her sentence, Beast Boy caught her by surprise and jumped at her. Her eyes widened as she fell on the floor with him on top, blushing deeply. "Beast Boy what- AH! DON'T!"

Garfield grinned down at her, pulling her hands out of the way and tickling her sides. She was blushing and he knew he was pushing it, but he had a bet to cash in, dammit! And he wasn't going to back out now, no matter how scary she could be. But she was holding back, smiling but glaring at the same time. "This isn't funny!" she gasped, "Let me go!" "Not until you laugh!" he replied back, laughing widely as if she'd been tickling him back. Before long, she was chuckling, trying to get away. But as soon as the sound left her, her eyes widened and he grinned down at her in triumph. "You can do better than that!" he said, still tickling, but Raven was looking at something behind him.

"What a cute moment." Beast Boy heard the familiar voice and turned to find X leaning casually against a red tank. "No, no! Go right ahead. I'm just going to steal all this, if you don't mind." With that, one of the tanks exploded, covering the place in a dark red fog, making it unable to see.

Beast Boy jumped to his feet, ready to attack, but the gas was making it hard to see or smell anything other than the xenothium. "Azarath, Metrion, Zynthos!" He heard Raven yell out and a black orb appeared, sucking in the entire chemical.

"Rae! Look out!" She managed to turn at Garfield's warning, only to be pushed to the ground by a giant X. Red X fell on top of her, holding her down. "Am I allowed to join the tickle party, or is this a one person invite?" Raven's eyes glowed dark, before fading into the ground, leaving X leaning over the ground. As soon as she disappeared, a green gorilla slammed hard against him, sending him flying backwards.

X crashed against a tank; getting covered in whatever liquid was there, coughing before stretching a hand out at them.

"I'm not here to fight." he said, hoping to stop them. But Beast Boy wasn't forgetting that easily how he'd pinned Raven down, bringing memories of Adonis right back. "You have a funny way of showing it." He snarled, baring his fangs, only managing to amuse X.

"Woah, hold back your pet, love. It looks like it bites."

Raven's eyes narrowed and she placed a hand on Beast Boy's chest, signaling him to step down. "What do you want, X?" she asked, still ready to hit him if he tried anything. "Okay, okay." said X raising his hands, as if to show he wasn't about to hit them with anything. "I just wanted a talk. No big deal." "Get talking." snarled Beast Boy, still glaring and looking ready to bite.

X could almost laugh at the guy's expression, but it was obvious it wouldn't help his case. "Okay, look. We all know you owe me." Raven's eyes narrowed and X waved a hand. "Not you particularly, but the Titans. Or did you forget already how I saved your life?" "You did the right thing." she said, still glaring, "Doesn't mean you can cash in." "I guess we have different points of view." X grinned under his mask, knowing full well he was pushing it.

"You know Joker?" he started, hoping the name would make them react, but apparently Robin had done a good job training them, "I've heard of him." Raven replied, still unamused. "I'm sure Robin already told you all of my little plan." He sighed, before leaning against a tank again, dropping his guard. His casualness made Raven drop her stand too, hiding once again inside her cloak, but Beast Boy was still glaring.

"Look. The guy is going to strike again, and I want to stop him before it's too late." "By murdering him?" said Beast Boy obviously not too fond of the idea. X snorted, turning his attention to the green beast. "You guys can pretend you're still kids all you want, but that isn't going to change the fact that the guy is crazy and is dangerous. He's hurt more people than you can imagine." Raven raised an eyebrow, "And we both know you won't be able to stop him once he gets Gotham." "Jump city is our home. Gotham has it's own heroes." X let out a bitter laugh, "Some heroes." he muttered bitterly, before standing straight again.

"All I'm saying is he'll hit before you know it, and you've got to be careful." And then, playfully added, "Would be a shame to lose such a beauty to a sicko like him." Raven's eyes narrowed. "The Joker can't hurt us." "Can't he? Because so far he's hurt everyone we've known. Everyone related to Batman. He crippled our friend, killed me and next," He snorted looking down, "And he's coming for Richard too. I say we strike before he does."

Raven was quiet for a moment, taking in X's warning. Was he bluffing just to get control over the xenothium, or was he seriously concerned for his brother? "Raven?" asked Beast Boy, making Raven turn to him. "He's being sincere." she said, "But that can easily be faked by someone with a trained mind." "And we all know I'm the best." added X cockily.

The two titans were silent, with Beast Boy still glaring at X. The thief walked toward them casually, confident and cocky as he was. "Don't make that frown, love. I'm sure the kid will be fine. And you'll go back to playing tickles with your pet in no time." He reached out to touch Raven's face, but before he could, a green hand stopped his. "No touching." warned Beast Boy, glaring. "And here I thought we were all getting along." joked X, unfazed by the gesture. He dropped his hand to the side though.

"Why are you telling us this?" asked Raven, staring straight at the masked man. X was quiet for a moment, staring at her, as if trying to figure out his own motives. "I'm not such a bad guy." he said, finally, before moving away. "And he's still your brother." X didn't answer, already jumping to leave the place. "Robin won't listen to me. I know that already, but here's hoping you two can convince him otherwise." He jumped away.

"I think I'll see you gorgeous some other time. Keep watching this Xenothium. I'm sure I'll be back to get it some other time." And before he left, he added, "Looking forward to it, love." And with that, he disappeared, leaving the other two titans to stare after him.

"What a douche…"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5. A lesson in trust.**

"What are we going to do about X?"

"Nothing."

"We can't do nothing!"

"You're using double negatives."

"You're the one being negative!"

Raven sighed, stopping to glare at Beast Boy. They'd gotten back that morning and the empath had ordered Beast Boy not to mention anything about X to Robin. After having stayed up all morning researching a spell and having a long nap afterwards, the half demon had woken with one idea in mind: training. If their last fight with X showed anything was that she needed to be ready to fight without her powers.

But Beast Boy had gotten to her as soon as she woke up. It'd been a surprise to find him awake, despite the fact that they'd gotten home late. Not only that, but he'd been waiting for her outside of her room instead of watching over Terra.

"Come on, Rae! We need to do something."

"Don't call me that."

Beast Boy was following her, glaring at her as she walked down to the gym. He'd been shocked last night when, after meeting X, she'd told him not to say a word to Robin. That was stupid! Robin was their leader. He surely had a right to know what X had said. Besides, it wasn't like it was a huge deal. Neither Garfield nor Raven would ever think of aiding the thief, right? His eyes went to Raven…Right?

"Raven. What are you planning to do?" She didn't answer and he yelled out in frustration. "Come on! Tell me. I'm in on the plan. And where's your cloak?"

The girl sighed, figuring he would never leave her alone. She kept walking toward the gym, moving already to stretch. But he was still there as she prepared and his stare was starting to annoy her.

"We can't tell Robin because we still don't know what X knows about Joker's plans." She said in frustration, turning to glare at him. "Robin won't trust X, no matter what he says and will disregard-" She stopped talking, sighing, and then returned to her stretches. "I'm going to deal with X myself."

Beast Boy crossed his arms, looking at her with a pout. "So you're willing to trust X far more than you would Robin?" He didn't like that one bit.

"You don't know Robin like I do." was her reply. He didn't like that either.

"Why do you always do this? You're always keeping things to yourself." He was getting angry and actually felt hurt at her last words. So what if she knew Robin so well? Garfield knew HER better! Did Robin know she smelled like jasmine flowers? Did he know she liked waffles? Did he know her favourite colour was blue? He sincerely doubted it.

Raven turned, regarding him with her usual stoic expression. "I'm not asking you to trust X." she said, glaring at the changeling, "I'm asking you to trust me."

Beast Boy glared at her, knowing full well he wouldn't be able to deny her that. He let out a breath in defeat, his arms hanging dramatically, and standing again. "Alright, alright. We wait until meeting him again. Just once more. After he spills, we catch him and tell Robin everything."

"That's the plan," she said as she turned to start punching a nearby bag. Garfield grinned at her, moving to sit on the floor to look at her train. It made her stop to glare at him again.

"What are you doing?"

Garfield let out a short and awkward laugh as he scratched the back of his head. "Just… looking. It's not every day you decide to train like this. I'm just- You know. Enjoying the show." Her eyes widened and he blushed deeply, waving his hands in front of him. "That's not what I meant! I just-" He scratched his head again, "I was wondering if you need- you know, a sparring partner or something."

Raven regarded him in silence with her usual emotionless expression as she answered, "I don't need partners." And she turned to hit the punching bag once again. For a moment there, he seemed sad at her rejection, but then he noticed she was far too concerned with her training to notice him sitting there.

His eyes followed her as she moved. It was weird to see Raven be so active at something. He'd seen her in combat before, but he'd never paid much attention to her, having to focus on staying alive. He'd manage to notice her fighting style though, and knew she would sometimes use her body to attack. Her style wasn't like Starfire's though. The alien was far rougher, much less delicate and brutal. Raven focused on legs and moved lightly, like a ballerina. He blushed as he realized he'd just compared Raven to a dancer.

"NGH!" Raven suddenly turned, intending to kick Beast Boy. He managed to duck, just barely, covering his head. "Dude! What the hell?" The empath straightened her back, looking down at him with a frown.

"If you're going to spend your time staring, the least you can do is help me practice." He blinked at her, wondering if she was crazy. "I thought you said you don't need partners." he replied, but her answer was a kick. He jumped sideways, leaning on the floor with his arms, staring at her in surprise.

"I also don't need spectators." And again, she tried to kick him, turning on her other leg to kick him again. Beast Boy quickly turned into a mouse, dodging once again and ran to a corner, staring up at her in surprise. She walked up to him wearing the same emotionless face. "Either leave or fight. But I won't have you leering like that."

Leering? He snorted, turning back to himself. "You don't want to fight me, Rae." he said, smirking up at her, still leaning against the wall. Her expression didn't change, though he could see her pride was starting to affect her. "We'll see about that." She moved again and he was back to running like a mouse… literally.

"No powers." she said as she tried to get him again. Beast Boy transformed as soon as he reached a corner, still in fours, intending to follow her rule. He moved like an animal, she noticed, and tried attacking again. Just like she'd said, he didn't use his powers this time, but jumped to dodge her. He was fast and slim, his body moving far too gracefully. But she wasn't about to give up. Again, she tried kicking him and again she missed.

"You use your legs too much." he said while grinning, obviously enjoying this too much. Raven frowned, looking down at herself. Her hands were prepared, but she noticed he was right. She tried punching him next, but missed every time.

"You need to train your arms." he was saying, noticing her movements. This was the first time he'd looked at her fight long enough to notice the details in her fighting style. "Too slow."

That made her grit her teeth in anger, as she moved to once again punch him, trying to go faster this time. But she was getting tired quickly, unused to so much physical activity. No wonder she hadn't been able to reach X unless he was distracted. If he muted her again, she would never be able to stand up to him.

"Why won't you FIGHT BACK!" she yelled out, losing her patience, turning to kick Garfield in anger, but he dodged again. "I'm not used to hitting in my human form." he said shamelessly and Raven stopped in surprise at the admittance of weakness. Apparently, Beast Boy wasn't as proud as she was.

The girl stopped, crossing her arms as she looked at him sternly. "What will you do if you lose your powers?" Garfield grinned at her as he shrugged in reply. "Throw a party?" he joked, though it made her raise an eyebrow. Whether he was joking or not, it was obvious his powers still bothered him. Was he longing to be normal? She knew sometimes he would lose control, but that didn't mean he would hate being green, did it?

She huffed, using the back of her hand to clean the sweat off her forehead. "I'm being serious." "You're always serious." She rolled her eyes at his reply, and tried punching him again. Once more, he jumped away, falling on both legs and hands. "You need to train in your human form. You never know what kind of powers our enemies will have." His eyes widened and fell as she managed to punch him.

He sat, rubbing his cheek, but his stance showed her he'd stopped the fight. "Is that why you're training? You're worried X will… ex you again?" Raven glared at him for a moment, and then looked down at her hands. Her arms hurt, her muscles throbbing painfully, but she had made up her mind.

"Relying on magic alone is a weakness." she explained, still upset over having lost her chant in their last battle. Beast Boy blinked up at her curiously and grinned widely.

"Okay!" he said enthusiastically, "I won't hold back this time!" With that, he moved to attack her, his hand stretched out, as if meaning to slap her instead of punching. She ducked easily, even with the surprise of his sudden attack, and smirked.

Beast Boy was grinning, finding the whole thing far too amusing. He was an animal, used to use his body to attack, even if it wasn't his own. And she was a half demon. Demons weren't physical creatures. They were magical, used their powers against others, their bodies were a mere representation of themselves, not a true weapon. She needed to change that. If she couldn't defeat Beast Boy in a mocked fight, she would never have a chance against X.

With that in mind, she opened her eyes, breaking her thoughts and moving to attack again, her mind set, legs ready to kick… and he dodged again.

Dammit! She felt like screaming, but on the outside her demeanour was the same. Despite the small frown, her face remained expressionless, her posture still graceful and controlled, and Beast Boy couldn't help but admire it. She didn't like being stared at though, so she tried again.

"You should just accept that I'm faster than you." he said after running and jumping away from her, almost instantly forgetting that he was supposed to be attacking too. Her eyes narrowed as, mid his jump, she turned quickly, placing a leg under him as he landed and then kicking his feet with all her will. Down he went, and he was left laying on his back, blinking up at her in shock.

"But I'm smarter than you." she replied proudly, looking down at him over her nose. After the initial surprise wore off, Garfield grinned again.

"Cool!" he said, still grinning, until suddenly moving, kicking her feet under her. Down she went, just like he had, falling on the floor with a thud. She blinked up at the ceiling as she realized what had happened and she could hear him chuckle next to her, still laying on the floor.

"I'm so using that move more often." he said, leaning back as his breathing regained its usual rhythm. Raven was still blinking up at the roof, wondering what had happened, a hand placed on her stomach, panting as well, her other arm raised over her head. Her face changed from shock to emotionless as her mind caught up with what had happened. She'd taken him down, but he had used her own move against her. Perhaps Garfield wasn't as stupid as she first thought.

"Hey, looking good." He teased, leaning on his hand to look down at her, smirking with an annoying, cocky grin. She glared at him still in the same position, too tired to move. His animal blood made him regain stamina quickly, but her body, despite its powers, was still half human. She could easily heal herself, but she couldn't regain stamina as fast.

"You still lost." she told him stubbornly, still in the same position, and his grin widened. She was just so proud and stubborn! That was why it was always so fun to tease her. It was easy to rile her up, unlike Star who would only laugh at his jokes, even if she never understood them, or just get plain evil and angry, and give him the silent treatment. But Raven wasn't like that. She was just so controlled all the time. It made him want to make her lose it, even if it was just a little.

A green hand rose tentatively, intending to touch the side of her head and push her hair back. His eyes softened as he stared at her expression. She didn't seem surprised at the intended tender gesture, or even pleased. She just stared back up at him, still looking stoic, her eyes unreadable.

"Hey, guys." called Cyborg as he walked in, not noticing the position his friends were in, but merely knowing they were there. "I'm here to train out this improvement I made. Check it!" He pulled out his arm, his hand turning to its blaster shape while he smiled proudly. "I can shoot out a blast in half the time now! Isn't it neat? I still need to practice with the arm though. It's a bit sore and I- what?"

The biggest titan blinked as he saw his two teammates standing next to each other, avoiding each other's eyes. Raven had her arms to her side, looking emotionless, except for the fact that she was looking at a random exercising machine far too intently. Beast Boy was scratching his head, looking away from her as well, a dark red blush on his cheeks.

"Did I miss something?" he asked just as Raven reacted. The empath started to walk away from them, leaving both men staring after her in wonder.

"What about training?" called Beast Boy walking behind her, much to Cyborg's surprise. But Raven just turned to him with an unreadable expression and said, "I need to meditate." And merely left, leaving the other two titans behind.

"What was that about?" asked Cyborg when she was gone and then looked at Beast Boy suspiciously, "You were messing with her again, weren't you?" Beast Boy turned to him, huffing indignantly. "Was not!" He replied childishly, "I was HELPING her train!"

Cyborg still looked suspicious. "Train? Raven always trains by herself." Beast Boy scratched the back of his head. "I know! I just-" He turned to stare at the closed metal door as if Raven was still visible. "I was just trying to help." he finished lamely, making Cyborg roll his eyes.

"I swear, BB. One of this days, she'll end up killing you for messing with her." Cyborg told him placing a hand on the much shorter man's head. "I wasn't messing with her!" He yelled out, pouting up at his friend. Cyborg just laughed at his overreaction. "Yeah, yeah. You said that." He smiled at the pouting Beast Boy as he moved toward the weights, intending to work the arm he'd been talking about.

"You ought to leave Raven alone once in a while. You know she likes to do her own thing." Garfield stared at the door, still pouting, arms crossed and turning to Cyborg. "But she's always alone, dude! That's like so sad." Cy stopped for a moment, grabbing the biggest weight he could carry and sitting on a nearby bench. "Just because you like people doesn't mean everyone has to be the same way."

Garfield sighed, moving to sit next to his friend. "I know that! It's just…" He threw another sad glance at the closed door. "Don't you think she gets… lonely?" Cyborg stopped his exercise for a moment, looking down at the green man, thinking about what Gar had said.

"Maybe. But it's up to her to decide how close she lets others. Not up to us." He grinned again, "Now, why don't you help me with this arm and we can discuss how nosy you are?" Garfield shook his head, still staring at the door.

"Sorry, dude. I'm beat and I've got something to. Catch ya later." With that the Changeling left, suddenly leaping from his sitting position and running out.

"Wait-" Called Cyborg as the shock left him, blinking at the door and thinking that perhaps he'd actually missed something.

…

That night, the team was back at the laboratory. They split up, as usual, with just one team of two.

"You need to go back to your quadrant." Beast Boy shook his head, walking behind Raven, glaring at her cloak, as it was the only thing he could see. "No way I'm leaving you alone with that psycho." Raven turned to send him a glare, and moved again.

The night had been slow enough as it was, and the empath wasn't sure whether X would appear again or not considering his threat of stealing the Xenothium. So Raven had gone to her position, just as Robin had planned. She took the upper level, since she could fly and stop X as soon as he tried escaping through the roof, without actually destroying anything like Starfire's powers would.

"X won't hurt me." Raven replied back to her new green shadow. "He just wants to talk." Her eyes narrowed as she looked at a particular spot among the dark, "I doubt he'll hurt anyone."

Before Beast Boy could reply, another voice answered. "Aw, you're so starting to like me." The green man jumped in surprise as he turned to where Raven had been glaring at. There was X, casually leaning over a rail.

"I see you brought your pet." Beast Boy growled, only proving X's point. The thief jumped down next to the two, casually walking toward them as if he wasn't a wanted criminal and they weren't titans.

"You wanted to talk, love?" Raven scowled further at the nickname. X obviously liked flirting with every girl he met, much like Kid Flash. For some reason, Jason's compliments weren't as welcomed, not that Wally's were any better.

"Just because we didn't arrest you last time, doesn't mean we'll go along with your plan." She replied as Beast Boy moved to stand next to her, trying to intimidate. But he was still Beast Boy as his persona wasn't as intimidating as the animals he could transform to, so X looked at him comically, amused by the shorter man's behaviour.

"You should have him fixed. I heard that takes care of aggressive behaviour." X said waving at Beast Boy, and the green man took an intimidating step forward, "I'll show you aggressive behaviour." But Raven raised a hand, stopping him, the motion delicate and cold. Garfield scowled, but kept quiet. He had to let her do the talking, since she was the one who knew the plan, whatever that was. He was still sore that she didn't tell him about it, but trusted her enough to know it would work.

"Last time we saw each other you mentioned the Joker." X leaned back, his hands on his waist, managing to look amused despite not showing any part of him. "Oh, you were listening?" he started but noticed Raven just wasn't in the mood for playing so he shrugged. "Ever heard of Joker venom? Terrible stuff. Hilarious too, if you have a wicked sense of humour. And you do look wicked, love."

Raven's expression didn't change at the mention of said substance. "What about it?" X shook his head, knowing the titans knew nothing of the crazy man. "You know the substance can travel through anything?" She got what he'd been trying to say, but Beast Boy still seemed confused. "What do you mean?"

"The Joker doesn't need to be in town to hurt Robin." Answered Raven instead, eyes still fixed on the thief. "So that's it?" she asked, taking a step closer to X, "Joker will use his gas to get to Robin?" X looked down at his hand as if he could see his nails. "The thing is, it's not always a gas. It can also be a liquid. A drop in a glass of water, a bit in the pipes of the Titan's tower. The Joker is very creative when it comes to finding ways to hurt us."

"What do you know, X?" asked the empath, taking yet another step closer. X shook his head, waving a finger playfully. "Nu-uh, love. Information is still what's keeping you from attacking me. How stupid do you think I am?" Her eyes narrowed, taking another step closer. She was standing right in front of X now.

"Very." With that, the empath touched X's head, her hand glowing black. "Raven!" Yelled out Beast Boy as soon as he'd realized what Raven had done. For a moment, the two minds merged in one and Raven was lost inside Jason's head. The hatred, the pain, the memories of dying and resurrecting were there. The ideals, the selfishness and the morals. Secrets revealed themselves to her, some she already knew from Robin like Batman's identity, but she also saw Jason's childhood and the faint memories of a show off child who just wanted an opportunity to shine.

With a gasp from the empath, both bodies fell. The green man easily caught hers as he peered worriedly at her. "Rae? Rae! Are you okay?" Her eyes flickered open as her mind weakened. It'd been a tough call, but it'd worked. But now she would have a connection with an uninvited guest, and one she didn't trust like she did Robin.

Next to them was a passed out X and she sent him a glare, only half knowing what was going on. She needed more time, more sessions, more meditation to wander inside his mind, figure out what was happening exactly.

"Call Robin." she told Beast Boy, looking up at him. "Tell him- say we've got X. But tell him not to… tell him to bring him to the tower. Tell him to trust me." And then everything went dark.

…

_That was a low blow._

"You left me no choice."

_I'm impressed. I never imagined you could play dirty._

"I'm still a demon."

_Ah! I know that now. Just think of the possibilities. You let me in, love. You know as much about me as I know about you._

"That doesn't mean we can't stop you."

_Richard's going to kill you, you know?_

"He won't. He trusts me."

_How precious. And what about your pet? Do you think he'll forgive you?_

"He doesn't need to know."

_Ah! Keeping secrets too. I'm liking you more and more._

"You don't like me."

_What's not to like?_

"I'm still a titan."

_If you think that'll make me dislike you, then you didn't read my head well enough._

"I read enough. I know how you feel about Star."

_Jealous?_

"Hardly. But isn't it a bit cliché to go after Robin's partner after stealing his past?"

_You're overthinking, love. I just want to have a good time. Too bad the two hottest girls I know are taken._

"I'm not taken."

_Is that an offer? Because I know your mind as well. You can't deny what I saw._

"It's not important."

_Now I know your weakness._

"And I know you're honourable enough to never take advantage of it."

_Now I KNOW you didn't read my mind well enough._

"Don't underestimate my powers."

_Never… What is happening?_

"You're waking up."

_Don't tell me from now on we'll be seeing each other in our dreams?_

"Just when I want to reach you."

_Won't be a big change from the usual, to be honest. Though in my dreams there's a lot less talking and a lot more-_

X's eyes flickered open and groaned almost immediately at the terrible headache he had. He cursed under his breath at the small lights around him. Tiny sparkles of blue highlighted whatever was around him, and he had to make an effort to focus his eyes to see where he was. Oh, how he wished he could stay asleep and speaking with the demon again.

The thief was trapped, inside what seemed to be a glass force field, surrounded by equipment. He looked down letting out a sigh. "Of course…" His belt was gone.

"Hello, X." Richard appeared from the shadows, surprising X, and the thief leaned casually onto the glass. "Nice appearing from the shadows thing you've got. Learned that from daddy?" Robin's eyes narrowed behind his mask. "You would know."

The titans' leader leaden closer to his adoptive brother, one he never really took the chance to know. "What did you do to Raven?" He asked, his tone even, saying the words slowly as if they would be hard to understand.

"Why? Did the little devil say I was being a bad boy?" X joked, but Robin suddenly slammed the glass, making X take a step back. "I am NOT in the mood to play games, X. What did you do to Raven?" X crossed his arms, leaning against the glass again. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Robin stared at him for a moment, still frowning. He never actually had a good relationship with Jason before, not that the boy needed him in any way. Richard had been far too angry and rebellious to actually try to connect with his family back then. Now he regretted it, because now Jason was dead and this man, this person under Red X's mask was no longer his brother.

"Raven's in a comma as we speak." Robin started and he noticed the sudden change in X's behaviour, as the thief moved closer, his cocky stand suddenly turning to show concern. "Her body is healing itself. Beast Boy-" "The pet." Interrupted X, recognizing who Robin was talking about, but the nickname made Robin glare at his brother. "Beast Boy said she placed some sort of enchantment on you. What happened?"

X shrugged, already feeling better now that he knew Raven was alive. "You would know. As far as I know, I wasn't her first." He turned to send a pointed look at the titan's leader and, despite the mask still covering the young man's features, Robin's eyes widened in recognition.

"You two bonded?" He asked in surprise, taking a step back in shock. X looked down at the floor in deep thought, for a moment being petty and regretting the fact that, once again, he'd come second at something against Richard.

"She didn't exactly give me much choice." Robin's eyes narrowed again as he regained his composure.

"You'll stay here until she wakes up. I don't know why she needs you around, but be sure that if it were for me, you'd be rotting in prison right now. "

With that, Robin started to leave, but X called him again. "Richard!" Robin stopped walking but didn't turn. "I'm just trying to protect our city. Our family. Don't blame me because neither you or Bruce can do what needs to be done."

"You're a criminal, X. As much as it pains me, we both know you've gone against everything we were ever taught." X slammed the glass again. "Joker's not going to stop until he has us all. Don't you see? His only purpose is to torture Bruce. All we can do is end the bastard. A lot of pain will end if he's gone."

Robin turned finally, his expression unreadable. "It won't take away the pain of seeing what you've become." And without any more words, he left the room and X behind.

…

"What happened to her? She's so still…" Asked Beast Boy, staring painfully Raven's very still body. It'd all happened so fast and in front of him and yet he'd done nothing to stop it. If he'd known what her plan was, he would've never agreed to it. But maybe that was why Raven never told him anything.

"She's fine. Just healing herself. She used too much power in that last trick." Cyborg explained as he stared at the screen showing Raven's condition.

The empath was laying on a bed motionless, even her breathing seemed to have left her, leaving behind what appeared to be a dead body. But the screen showed pulse, so she was still alive, even if barely.

"She's done this before, B. Don't worry. We know she'll wake up." Cyborg tried to sound positive, but the tone barely helped the Changeling, still staring at Raven.

"Last time she turned this way, it'd been my fault." Beast Boy said, mortified. "Last time I couldn't help her, and now-"

"Last time was Adonis's fault. Not yours." Cyborg turned to look at the empath as well, crossing his arms as he leaned against a table. "This time it was X's. There was nothing you could've done."

But that didn't help either. "I should've stopped her. I should've figured out what she was planning. I- I didn't know."

"It's not your fault she didn't tell you."

"But I could've guessed. This is Raven! I know how she works. I know how-"

"I don't think any of us know how Raven works, B."

Beast Boy fell silent after that and Cyborg didn't push the conversation, just returning back to work to monitor Raven's condition. The room was filled with the noise of clicking as Cyborg typed something and the beeping of a random machine.

The metal door opened after a while and in went Robin and Starfire, both looking solemn. Beast Boy stood as soon as he saw them both, trying to find some hope in Robin's expression.

"What happened?" he asked urgently. Starfire wasn't smiling so immediately he knew it would be bad news.

"X had no idea." Robin said, moving to stand beside Raven. He felt rage as soon as he saw her peaceful face, his eyes narrowing at her. If she'd been awake, he would've been scolding her, yelling at her, grounding her even, doing anything that would keep her from doing something so stupid again.

Beast Boy let himself fall on the chair he'd been sitting on, feeling tired. He turned to look at Raven again as if she would wake up any second and he had to be ready to greet her first.

"Raven bonded with him." That made Beast Boy look up at his leader. "She did what?!" He asked angrily as if Robin was the one at fault. Batman's apprentice was as unhappy as he was.

"I'm not sure what the hell she was thinking, but the best we can do is wait until she wakes up." Beast Boy nodded, looking down.

"Um… actually…" He gulped as Robin's glare turned to him. "We- ah- we met X yesterday." Robin took a step closer to the Changeling and the green man started to feel slightly intimidated at the glare.

"And?" His leader urged him on, and Garfield gulped.

"Well, Raven said we needed to wait. She told me to- well, she wanted to figure out what X knew about the Joker before taking him down. She said you- ah- you would-"

"Take him to jail. That's what I should've done." He turned his glare back at Raven. "Why didn't you tell me about this?" Garfield wasn't sure whether he was talking to him or Raven, but he decided to answer.

"Rae said we should trust her." And that said it all.

"If friend Raven said we should trust her, then I believe we should listen to what she said." Starfire said in a tiny voice. Robin was being too quiet for her taste since she already knew there was a special relationship between Raven and her lover. After a moment of silence, Robin nodded, still staring at the sleeping girl.

And that's how the titans spent their night, each in a different corner of the room, making small talk with each other, each of them worried about the girl on the bed.

…


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapt****er 6. Ghosts of the past**

"You're taking too long."

_It's not my fault you have so many negative emotions._

"Hey, if you can't handle my mind, you shouldn't have gone meddling with it in the first place."

_And you should have told me what you know._

"Everyone's worried about you, love. You better wake up. As much as I like Robin's company, I'm sure he won't kiss pretty if you take too long."

_I'm almost done._

"Almost done with what exactly? Because I'm not fond of sharing my thoughts."

_I only did it because you refused to help us._

"Ha! As if. You only wanted to get inside my head."

_Yes. You figured me out. All I've ever wanted was to look inside the thoughts of a sociopath. Now my dream has finally come true._

"Ouch. You don't need to use that tone, love. I'm not your pet."

_Why do you keep calling him that?_

"What? Your pet?"

_He's not a pet._

"Really? Because he follows you around everywhere, waggling his little tail every time you're near."

_He doesn't. And he doesn't have a tail._

"Getting shy on me, love? Give me a break. You two are far more stubborn than Barbara and Richard."

_Barbara? You mean Oracle._

"Oh, didn't the kid ever tell you about our beloved friend?"

_I… know a bit about her._

"Did you know Richard was crazy for her? And that the damn Joker crippled her? That he shot her right through the stomach just to see what'd happen to Batman if he did? That she's now in a wheelchair and won't be able to walk again?"

_I… No. Not exactly._

"Funny. You'd think he'd mention that."

It took Raven two days to wake up. It'd happened so suddenly, without any warning and without anyone noticing. Except for the one person who'd been sitting next to her the entire time. It'd been two in the morning and, despite all the titans being present in the room, only one took notice. The only one not sleeping.

It'd been Beast Boy who'd been staring down at Raven's face. She seemed so tiny, covered with a thin blanket, looking helpless and weak. Seeing her that way brought back previous memories. She'd been just like this when he'd turned into the beast for the first time. He'd thought he'd been the one responsible and, in a way, he'd been guilty. It still bothered him to know he didn't reach her in time, that he'd been a jerk to her all day only to find her wounded and still. What would have happened if she'd left him that day? What would have happened to him, having known he'd been awful to one of his best friends, and to never be able to apologize to her? To never tell her how much he enjoyed their talks? Or how much he liked it when she smiled at one of his stupid jokes? Seeing her like that was a reminder of those moments, so when he saw the pair of violet blue eyes staring at him, he had to blink a couple of times to convince himself he wasn't dreaming.

"Hey." She whispered, managing to sound stoic despite looking so weak. He smiled as soon as he heard her, leaning closer.

"Hey." he said back, and he felt the sudden rush to apologize for everything he'd done to her, like that time he sneaked inside her room, or that other time he'd tried to steal one of her magic books, or that other time he tricked her into eating tofu, or that time he'd glued her hands to the Gamestation control to force her to play… or maybe thank her for all those moments when her wise words would suddenly clear his mind in times of need, or thank her for being with him every day, looking after Terra, despite not liking the girl in the first place. But instead, he asked the most obvious question.

"How are you feeling?"

Raven looked at him for a second, regarding his question, and then turned her eyes up at the ceiling. "I'm okay. Just tired." He smiled, knowing full well she was trying to appear strong.

"You could rest a bit more, if you want." he told her, trying not to sound too worried.

"I'm fine." She tried to get up and he was suddenly at her side, helping her sit up. Raven frowned at him, but didn't use her little energy to push him away. "I don't need any help." He smiled as her usual pride showed, and he thought he should add that to the list of things he'd miss the most if she left.

"I know you don't. I just want to help. I've been feeling useless for two days now and it's been driving me crazy." She was sitting now, so he moved to sit back at his chair.

Raven looked around the room emotionlessly, her eyes going from one titan to the other. Next to her had been Garfield, of course, looking tired despite the gentle smile he was giving her. In another bed was Kori, sleeping soundly as Richard sat on the floor, holding her hand, asleep as well. Victor was sitting on a chair across the room, connected to some computer, his red eye off.

"You didn't need to watch over me. I was going to be fine." She said, noticing everyone in the room, but Garfield just shrugged as if sleeping in the med room for two days hadn't been a big deal.

"We were worried, Rae." he said simply, still smiling and she nodded in acknowledgement.

"Raven?" The empath's eyes went to her team leader as he slowly rose from his position. He took his time, kissing Star's hand gently, placing it on the bed next to her. The alien girl didn't even stir as he stood, walking slowly toward the other two.

"Did you learn anything?" Always straight to business. Raven could've smiled, if it didn't involve moving so many facial muscles.

"Dude! Give her a break. She just woke up." started Garfield, but Raven answered despite his complaint.

"Yes." Dick gave her an odd look, and she felt his apprehension, despite his very trained mind. She knew this particular case was hitting too close to home, so she'd been worried for him from the start. But here he was, and she knew X was still in the Titan's tower, and Robin wasn't screaming at her.

"Well?"

She stared at him in silence, gathering her thoughts, her face emotionless though still managing to look tired.

"I learned about Barbara." she said monotonously and watched as Robin's expression changed from uneasiness to shock.

"What?"

"I learned about Barbara." she repeated, though she knew it wasn't necessary.

"Who's Barbara?" asked Beast Boy lightly, looking from Raven to Robin, noticing the tension between the two. Robin gritted his teeth, shaking in anger, still staring at the empath as she regarded him stoically. But his question was ignored by the two as the staring contest continued.

"About the Joker." Dick pressed, ignoring her previous statement, still looking ready to hit something.

"Yes." she said again, "I learned what he did to Barbara."

That did it. Robin glared at her, turning on his heels and leaving the room without further words, slamming the door behind him and waking the sleeping titans.

"Dude! What the-?" started saying Garfield as he realized he was being let out of something important, but then his words died in his throat as Raven's bed was suddenly invaded.

"Friend Raven!" Kori jumped to Raven, holding her close for a moment. "Star. Oxygen." complained the empath and the alien girl dropped her back on her bed. "I am joyous to see you have joined the awaken again!" Starfire was grinning widely and Raven blinked at her, glad that she'd missed the previous conversation.

"Yeah! It's good to have you back, Rave." Cyborg said from his spot, sending her a grin as he disconnected himself from whatever he'd been connected to.

"Robin said you created a bond with Red X." said Kori worriedly, leaning over Raven's bed. The empath looked surprised for a moment, turning to look at Beast Boy. He was smiling, but she felt a wave coming from him. A wave of emotion she couldn't quite place, so she raised an eyebrow, answering Kori.

"I went inside X's mind to find out what he knew about the Joker." She didn't add that the one who hadn't been telling them the entire story had been Dick.

"And?" Cyborg pressed, grinning at her as he walked to join the group.

"She learned about some Barbara." said Beast Boy, earning himself a glare from Raven. "What?!" he said defensively, "I didn't know it was a secret!"

Kori leaned back, placing a finger against her chin in deep thought. "Who is this Barbara? Is it a friend of yours?"

Raven sent the girl a sideways look. "She's X's friend." she half lied, looking down at her hands. Was it her or did she get paler during those two days? A gloved hand joined her hands on her lap and she looked up to see a smiling Garfield.

"You should sleep some. And not that healing stuff, just plain human sleep." he suggested lightly, knowing full well how tired she was.

"I can take you to your room if you want." He looked hopeful, far too hopeful, so even Raven didn't have the heart to deny him. "That'll be… nice. Thank you." He grinned widely, moving to carry her. "But I can walk." she added as she saw his intentions, making him stand again, smiling sheepishly. "Right! Right. Just- I- Lean on me if you can't."

Cyborg stretched behind them, already moving out of the room. "Man, I'm so glad you're better, Rave. I finally get to sleep in my room." The empath sent him a grateful smile, but it was barely there. Kori nodded in agreement, her hands placed close to her chest, looking far too happy, until she caught up on something.

"Where is Robin?" she asked, much to Raven's distress. But the empath said nothing about what had happened between the two, merely answering; "He saw me already and went back to his room." Kori looked slightly saddened by the fact. "Oh…" And floated out of the room, closely followed by Cyborg. "Have a merry night, friends." "Yeah, g-night, guys."

Beast Boy turned to smile at her, stretching out a hand for her to take. "Ready?" She looked down at it before taking it, letting him pull her to her feet. "Ready."

…

"What did you tell her?"

Robin slammed the glass wall that kept X, who was sitting on the floor, his legs stretched out, looking at the titan with a bored pose.

"You should really give me something to do in here. At least some cards. Maybe a jenga or some colouring books." replied the thief, ignoring Robin's question.

"WHAT DID YOU TELL HER?!" His voice raised and X jumped slightly.

"Jeez, kid. You'll leave someone deaf with that voice." He raised his arms and leaned back, using his hands to hold his head as he stretched out. Even let out a breath for good measure, knowing his behavior was getting to Robin.

"I'm not going to repeat myself once more, X. What did you tell her?"

X shrugged and added in a bored voice, "I told her Joker crippled Barbara."

Robin glared at his brother through the glass. "That is not your story to share."

X just shrugged, "It's not yours either." He moved closer to the titan, amused by his anger, "How much haven't you told them, Dick? Did you tell them about your parents? About Bruce? Did you tell that cutie about Barbs? How you have always been-"

"You don't know me." interrupted Dick, glaring down at the thief. "You don't know what it was like for me. You have no idea-"

"He raised me too."

"It wasn't the same. Bruce acted like a father to you. With me, it was-"

"I DIED!" X slammed his hands against the glass in anger, interrupting Richard's pity parade. If anyone deserved to sulk was him, NOT Robin.

X sighed, shrugging, leaning back to the floor, laying down completely, going back to his usual attitude.

"I won't take any more shit from you, kid. If you want me to talk, at least get one of the hot girls to talk to me. "

Robin took a step back, still glaring at X, wondering whether there was anything left of his brother. The wild, cocky and sometimes irresponsible Jason.

"We all mourned you." He said in a low voice. "We mourned you and we cried for you."

"But you didn't end him."

Robin knew well who 'him' was and found no answer. Instead, he turned to walk away. Raven better hurried it, because he wasn't going to hold on much longer.

Dick left the room, losing himself in the shadows again, not noticing the little voice that had called for him.

"Robin?" Starfire floated closer, but Robin was already leaving. She hadn't found him in his room, so she tried here. She had heard the yelling and decided not to intervene but now… Her eyes went from Robin to the light coming from the room next to her. Her eyes went from one to the other, before deciding to leave Robin be for the night, and have a small chat with X.

…

"You can use my shoulder, you know? If you wanted to."

"I'm fine."

"Alright. Just, you know, any time. I'm here for you, Rae. Just say the word."

"I don't need you."

"Yeah, I can see that but, well, it's right there, next to my neck, so if you do-"

"I said I'm fine."

Beast Boy sighed, scratching the back of his head as he stared at the recently awoken empath. Raven was walking annoyingly slow, clinging to the walls and anything in her way to keep standing. And yet she insisted she didn't need any help. He knew she was too weak to fly, much less leave in those black orbs she made, and yet she was still as stubborn as a mule.

"Heh. Mule." He laughed at his own thought, making the girl glare at him. "Um… sorry." He stared as the girl took yet another tiny step and grinned.

"Is this amusing to you?" She asked, her tone bitter, but he didn't lose his smile.

"Well, yeah." That wasn't the right answer, since she glared at him. Beast Boy smiled again, raising his hands as if she could attack him any second. "Not like you think. I just- I'm glad you're okay, you know? And back to your old self." He shrugged, turning away, still smiling. "Whenever you get all like THAT, you get all weird and… nice. Which is cool and all but not at all YOU."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "And you don't like it?"

Garfield laughed awkwardly again, shrugging. "Well, it just shows right now you're not that bad. I mean, you were out for two days and you still won't let me carry you to your room. But that's just like you are, you know? You're…" He stopped, looking down bashfully, suddenly feeling too shy to voice his thoughts. Her breath stopped though, waiting for him to finish what he was going to say. "Stubborn, selfish and angry." He finished with a wide grin. Raven didn't look amused. "What?!" He asked, "I meant that as a compliment!"

Raven huffed, taking another step, moving slow, ignoring him once again and so he sighed in defeat. It seemed that no matter what he said to her, she would end up getting offended.

"I mean it!" He insisted, taking the one long step that she'd managed to move, and then standing still again, much to her annoyance. "What I mean is, you don't give up. Even now, you're probably in pain right there, and getting annoyed at me and still you won't let me carry you to cut short the suffering." Raven glared at him again as she tried walking once more, holding onto a table when she felt herself slip. Why were her legs not working? And Beast Boy was still talking.

"And that's pretty cool, dude. You're like..." What was the right word? "Badass." That made her stop and turn to look at him with wide eyes. Her shocked expression made him grin again as he realized he'd FINALLY said the right thing. Raven flushed red and turned away from him, still trying to move.

"I'm not." She huffed, but he wasn't going to let it go that easily, since he'd realized she'd liked the compliment.

"No, you totally are. Badass Rae Rae. Defeating AND capturing most wanted criminal Red X with ONE touch! Dude, that was awesome." She almost smiled at his words.

"But you should never do it again. Seriously, I thought Robin was going to kill me when he found us." He shuddered at the memory. Raven didn't answer back so he decided he should keep talking. "I was worried too. I mean, you just stopped… being there, Rae. Just one touch and you were down. I thought you'd, I dunno."

"Passed out?" She tried helping, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah!" She rolled her eyes again.

"I did pass out, Beast Boy. I was just-"

"Gar."

"What?" She blinked in surprise.

Beast Boy shrugged, taking another step to match where she was going. "You should call me 'Gar'."

"Why?"

"I dunno. I like it."

Raven stared at him in surprise. Not even Terra had called him that. Then again, how long did they actually date? How much time did the two spend together?

"Gar." She said, taking another tiny step. Garfield grinned widely at her, standing there as he watched her take another step. Even in this dark, she seemed to be ridiculously tiny and pale.

"Why won't you let me carry you?" He asked, looking at her as she flinched. Blood was starting to move in her legs, which only left her cramped.

"I don't need it."

Beast Boy watched her flinch again, rolling his eyes. "This is getting ridiculous." He moved and with a swift move, he was holding Raven in his arms. The girl blinked, unsure of what'd happened as her feet left the floor and was suddenly staring directly at Beast Boy's grinning face. "Much better."

Once the amazement at the fact that he could carry her despite being, well, him, she glared, trying to move. But her body was far too weak to do anything than be an inconvenience, much less actually get him to let her go.

"Stop wiggling. You'll make me drop you." He scolded playfully and then smiled again.

"I don't need your help."

"I know. I just want to give it."

"And I'm refusing it. Put me down or I'll-"

"You can't use your powers now, Rae. Can't throw me out of the tower."

She glared up at him as he smiled in triumph. "You can kill me tomorrow, when you feel better. Now, just stop moving and let me take you to our room. It's not that easy." He let out a breath, "You're heavy." Her frown deepened.

"Right. THAT is the way to make me want to let you carry me." She said, settling down since he was already moving. "Calling me fat."

"I didn't say 'fat'. I said 'heavy." She raised an eyebrow.

"There's a difference?" And he chuckled slightly; amused at the fact that Raven would act so girly over something so stupid.

"Yeah. It's got more to do with how strong I am, instead of how you look."

"Right."

"Because you look great."

He stopped walking, his eyes widening. Did he actually say that out loud? He gulped, slowly moving his eyes to look down at her again. Raven was staring up at him with an unreadable expression. Plan B! Plan B!

"You know, for a creepy chick." She went back to huffing.

"You're an idiot."

"Yeah, but you like me anyway." She didn't answer to that.

…

"Why was Robin in a displeasing mood when he left this room?" Starfire was trying to look intimidating, floating above the floor, arms crossed and looking down at X with a frown. He stared up at her from his position on the floor, looking amused despite not showing his face.

"I don't know. Why don't you ask him?" he replied in a tired voice. He'd been SO bored. At least he had some eye candy in the room to keep him amused. He leaned forward, sitting up until he was looking up at her, still on the floor with his legs crossed. "So, you're Robin's girl." Starfire frowned.

"I am no one's property." she said, her voice full of dignity. It only served to amuse X more. "A tamararean is never tied to one person. We're free to do what we choose to do."

"And whoever you choose to do?" added X as a question, already liking her more. She was far colder than he'd first imagined. Funny, how Robin ended up with this girl, considering his type. And he seemed to be into red heads.

"Of course." Starfire dropped to the floor, placing her hands against the glass and peering inside to look at X properly. Despite his body being completely covered by the suit, she could manage to see some resemblance. He was indeed human, and perhaps he truly was Robin's brother, considering his slim body.

"You truly are Robin's brother?" she wondered out loud, not necessarily asking him.

"Adopted." said X plainly, still sounding amused. So the alien girl seemed interested in him, even if it was only because she thought of him as Dick's sibling. That was good enough for him. At least it's a way in.

"What does 'adopted' mean?" she wondered, leaning down to see him properly. The glass was making it harder, since from the outside, the glass was rounded and made X look funny.

"It means we're not related by blood." Kori still didn't get it.

"What does blood have to do with family?" That question made X blink behind his mask. She truly was an alien, wasn't she? He chuckled, moving closer, to kneel and leaned against the glass, placing his palms against it.

"You need the same blood to be a family." She frowned, leaning back. Now she could see him, since he was closer, his image distorting just slightly.

"If that was true, the titans wouldn't be a family." she replied, "Does that mean we're not truly one?" Red X was quiet for a moment, unsure of what to tell her.

"Not really." That saddened her, open with her emotions, and her hands dropped to her sides as a tiny pout formed in her lips, turning to him again.

"I believe they are my brothers and sisters." she explained, still curious about Jason. "Is it not the same between you and Robin?" X laughed.

"You could say we have issues."

"Everyone has 'issues'." X shrugged.

"Ours are bigger." Starfire leaned down, peering inside the glass. Jason was right in front of her, but she still couldn't help but wonder how this man, so different from Robin, could be his family. Did that made him her family too? The term 'brother' was a fussy one in her planet, and humanity was just so weird.

"I too have problems with my blood sister." she explained, "That is why we do not speak to each other. And she is also a criminal. I do not like her. But I still think of her as my family, just like Raven is my family." Mentioning the empath brought back memories of what had happened previously. "She says she bonded with you."

"Bonded? Is that what she calls peering inside my head without permission?"

"Yes." X sighed as he realized Star didn't get sarcasm.

"Then yeah." Star crossed her arms, getting more comfortable on the floor.

"You have seen inside her mind as well?" X raised an eyebrow. This girl was truly trustful. Here he was, trying to kill a man despite Robin's morality issues, and she was still talking to him as if they were chatting over coffee and cookies.

"Yes." Starfire leaned back then, looking down.

"She has never allowed me to peer inside her head."

"You wouldn't want to. That girl is scary." Starfire frowned.

"Raven is not scary. She's…" She wasn't sure how to describe her, but then X chuckled and she turned defensive. "What is so amusing?" X smiled behind his mask.

"You can't find a word to describe her." Kori smiled brightly then.

"I do have one. _Krin_."

"What does it mean?"

"It's a tamaranean word. It means 'something so odd and different it holds a special beauty." X laughed lightly.

"We have a word for that too." She looked curious and leaned forward.

"What is it?"

"Creepy." That made her frown, standing up again.

"Raven is NOT creepy. And you tried to trick me." She harrumphed, turning around and leaving the room in a huff. Red X just laughed behind her. Oh yes, he liked this one better.

…

"We're here!"

"Then put me down."

"Hold on, I'll take you to your bed."

"No."

"It's just a few steps away."

"I don't want you in my room."

"Ouch. Come on, Rae! It's not like I haven't been there before."

"And we both know how that ended."

"I won't touch anything. I promise." Raven sighed, still blushing and feeling uncomfortable. He was just so pushy all the time.

"Very well." He grinned widely and pushed the button to open the metal door and his nostrils suddenly were filled by a jasmine scent.

Her room was dark and exactly how he remembered it. There were candles everywhere; her books ordered neatly in the bookcase Cyborg had given her. Her bed was well made and he couldn't help but grin at it as he remembered his own unmade bed and messy room. Why couldn't she be normal like him? What teenage… anything was as ordered and neat as Rae?

"There." he said, leaning down to place her on her bed. He slowly turned his arms, dropping her carefully, as if she was made of glass and the tiniest mistake would break her. Raven didn't miss the gesture, but she kept her usual emotionless expression.

"Thanks." Beast Boy smiled at her, still leaning down, peering at her face. She seemed much better, if not a little pale and thin. Two days sleeping, mostly working without rest or food really did a number on her. She had dark circles under her eyes, only enhanced by her very pale skin.

"What?" she asked, already annoyed by his expression, and his eyes widened as her voice brought him out of his head.

"What what?" Her eyes narrowed.

"You're staring." He laughed awkwardly, leaning back. Much to her annoyance, he moved to sit on her bed lightly, as if it was nothing and they were far closer than she felt.

"Sorry. I was just thinking how tired you look." He turned to grin at her, still sitting close. She tried moving away, but her bed wasn't as big.

"I am tired." she said pointedly, meaning for him to leave the room. He blinked at her blankly a couple of times, and then laughing awkwardly.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I just…" He looked away, his expression serious. Raven just stared at him, waiting for him to finish what he was going to say, noticing his struggle.

"I was worried." he finished, still shy, "It all happened right in front of me and I couldn't do anything. That's why I'm… you know."

"Helping?"

"Yeah…" He smiled down at her again, staring once again. There she was, alive, well, looking as alive as Raven could. She was still so pale though, and it made him wonder just how much energy she was using peering inside Jason's head. A strand of hair fell on her face and he moved his hand to remove it, thinking how much he'd wanted to touch her face just three days ago, at the gym. Her skin looked so smooth and light, and the slight touch also let him know she felt cold.

"I should go…" he whispered, still staring and, staring into her dark, widening eyes gave him a sudden urge to… do something, he wasn't sure what.

"…Gar?" she asked in surprise, blushing deeply. He blinked and laughed awkwardly, removing his hand.

"Sorry! Sorry! I- ah! Good night, Rae. See you tomorrow! I'll make you some vegan waffles, how about that? And veggie eggs and- tofu! You'll like it. Well, see ya." With that, he left the room in a hurry, leaving a very surprised Raven on her bed.

The empath stared up at the roof, her expression unchanging as she thought of what she'd felt before. He'd been staring at her, like he was always doing, but tonight it'd been different. He hadn't been teasing, he was giving her a look she'd seen in him, but those eyes had never been on her, only Terra. Not only that, but she'd been hit with a sudden wave of emotion coming from him, his touch only allowing her to feel it fully. A sudden, wild and very strong wave of affection, mixed with something else, something foreign to her, at least coming from Garfield. Attraction.

…


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7. Triangles **

_Whoa._

"What?"

_That was intense._

"You felt it too?"

_I think everyone felt it. Good job, 'Rae Rae'._

"Don't call me that."

_Oh, so only he gets to talk to you like that?_

"That's not what I said."

_Sure you did. It's rather cute. Congrats, love. You two will have the funniest looking babies._

"Shut up."

_Ah, no thanks. Just because you were the one who placed this spell doesn't mean I don't get to have some fun with it._

"Jason, please. Not now."

_Wow. Real names. Must be serious._

"Ugh."

_What? Now I can't enjoy a bit of drama? You two are better than a soap opera. _

"Shut up."

_Not very witty tonight, are you?_

"I'm not in a very good mood. And I just finished healing my mind."

_That's what that was? And more importantly: You have good moods?_

"I'm starting to regret looking inside your head."

_Talk for yourself, love. I'm having a blast._

"Sure. How's that glass prison?"

_The kitty has claws!_

"Ugh. That's even worse than 'Rae Rae'."

_And yet he still gets to call you that._

"I'm starting to think you're the jealous one."

_I'm heartbroken._

"It's not fun if you don't get mad."

_Getting mad over liking a hot girl? That just seems irrational._

"I won't argue with that."

_I think you're starting to like me._

"I think you should let me rest."

_I'm bored out of my mind, love. Either you entertain me, or I'll go blabbing about your pet._

"You're Red X, the most wanted thief in Jump city and currently at the top of the most hated list Robin keeps in his room."

_That's a joke, right?_

"I don't joke."

_Right. Well, how about I talk to the pet myself. Tell him exactly what I saw in this pretty head of yours. Real cozy, by the way. Loving the ravens._

"You're in his hate list too."

_Well, aren't you a friendly group?_

"We're not kind to criminals."

_I can see that. Then again, here we are. Bonding every night._

"You take advantage of our connection. I can't tune you out and you know it."

_You could stop answering, though I'm sure you'll miss me._

"Don't push it. I can still go down there and kick your butt."

_Please do. Anything but sitting here. Reminds me of the coffin._

"You were in the coffin when you woke up?"

_Figure of speech._

"Where were you?"

_Lazarus pit. Not a pretty thing to go through either. Have you felt your soul being torn from your body, tasting the peace of death only to be pulled right back?_

"Actually, yes."

_Ha. Who knew we would have something in common?_

"Yes… who knew?"

_Yeah._

"…So?"

_What?_

"What happened?"

_Dick doesn't talk much, does he?_

"Just to me. And not that often."

_Weird, since you're so lovely to talk to._

"Cut the crap. Tell me what happened."

_Well…_

…

Beast Boy stared down at the school below him with a bored expression, his feet hanging from the side of the building as he rested his chin on his hand. He sighed knowing full well why everything seemed so pointless now. He'd gotten too used to having Raven there. He was missing her conversation terribly and now the task of watching over Tara had turned tedious and, in some level, purposeless. Nothing ever happened to her! Like ever! He wasn't even sure he managed to watch after her for so long before Raven had joined him. But he couldn't ask Rae now, not after what had happened last night. His skin turned to a dark purple as he recalled the events in his head, knowing full well he'd probably freaked her out. But at least she wasn't the only one feeling that way. Whatever he'd been feeling, he was sure that if Raven hadn't called him out he would've done something that would've permanently ruined his friendship with her. Invasion of personal space was something she never took lightly and considering what he'd wanted to do last night, there was no worse invasion than that. Which turned his thoughts back to what he'd wanted last night.

He'd felt a sudden urge, one he hadn't felt since going out with Terra, almost two years ago. He'd wanted to kiss Raven. He snorted to himself, still blushing and feeling foolish. It was ridiculous, he thought, since his instincts were obviously playing tricks with his mind. After all, he'd realized what he'd been missing after living so long in the same tower, growing up through his puberty and teen years with people he considered family: Raven was a girl, all parts included.

And that in itself was a revelation, because even if he knew she'd been a girl before, he never noticed she was _female_. To him she'd just been Raven, the creepy girl in the team, the one he'd always tried to make laugh, the one who drank stinky tea, who was always reading ridiculously long books and talked in a stoic, monotonous voice. But lately she'd been... Fun. Not only that, but she'd provided him with something he hadn't known he'd been missing before: an ear. Which sounded weird in his head but was completely true.

Maybe he was growing up. He let out a disgruntled breath at the thought, obviously disliking the idea. But what else could he do about it? In his mind Raven had always acted like an old lady, with her reading and knitting and her tea drinking, without liking pizza like he did, and never playing video games or joining the team for games of volley ball. Was he actually catching up now? Next thing he'd know he would be eating meat and discussing politics or worse, he would start reading books instead of comic books. That was scary enough so he was glad when the school bell rang and interrupted his thoughts.

He stood, waiting for the familiar blonde to come out. And there she was, hand in hand with the same lame boy he'd seen before. "I forgot about you." he muttered under his breath as he looked down at the two. They talked for a bit and Garfield stared at them with a bored expression, his thoughts focusing once again on someone else.

So maybe it'd been his powers being a pain, considering the circumstances. And so what if Rae was a girl? She was still family! His very serious and fun to mess with slightly older sister! The problem was his inner beast wasn't aware of that. Last night she'd only been a woman of breeding age laying on a bed, weak and at his disposal. And he was still a male! So that was it and nothing more. Because if it were, that would open a whole lot of new problems he just couldn't deal with at the moment.

He blinked then, remembering what he'd been doing before, and looked around for Terra. He found her ahead, way ahead on the street, still joined by the same boy. The sight made Beast Boy frown, rolling his eyes, before deciding to go back at the tower.

Whatever had happened last night, he wasn't going to let it ruin his friendship with Raven. Plus Raven probably had someone she liked already, probably Dick or that goth kid she went out with once. Hell, maybe she even liked girls, who knew? So there wasn't any point in thinking about it because it'd been his powers and that was final... Right? 

Raven overslept once again, much to her displeasure. She hadn't been able to sleep the night before for obvious reasons, so when she woke up disgruntledly, she remembered Beast Boy and cursed him. It'd been his fault, confusing her with all those waves of emotion. Why couldn't he be skillful like Robin or Red X? Why couldn't he control his emotions instead of always acting on whatever he was feeling? She blushed as she remembered the emotions rushing from him the previous night. She couldn't have been mistaken, right?

That'd been... Attraction? Lust? Something similar. Raven had never had much experience with the emotion, only recognizing it because her powers enhanced when someone touched her, one of the reasons she never liked being touched in the first place. So last night, when he moved the hair out of her face, she felt his emotions rushing through his hand and right into her body. And she'd felt the stupid, wild and random urge to kiss him. And years of meditation had taught her to separate her own emotions from others. But what if she made a mistake? She'd been weak, sleepy, tired and without meditation for almost three days. Maybe that'd been her own feelings? Then it wouldn't be that surprising. She liked him and she knew it. Had liked him for some time now, even if she hadn't understood it. Besides, said liking had never been joined with such primal emotions, and out of the two,  
Beast Boy had always been the one with the more primal emotions, and the most likely to follow through with them.

And then there had been the whole chat with Jason. Maybe it was the fact that she saw inside his head, could feel his emotions as he related his story of getting murdered by the Joker, the crowbar, the explosion and then revived by the Lazarus pit. He truly had the pity party going for him and, despite her best efforts, she could understand the hatred and distrust he felt toward the clown. Jason wasn't asking to kill everyone, just him. Just the man who'd ruined his family, his friends and his life…

"I must be losing my mind." She muttered under her breath as she moved out of her room, walking down the hallway and into the kitchen area. She found Starfire, pensive as she leaned on the table while staring through the window.

"Morning." greeted Raven as she walked by Starfire, stepping in front of the kettle on top of the stove, meaning to make herself some tea. When Starfire didn't answer, the empath turned to her, raising an eyebrow. The alien was usually very perky in the mornings. "Starfire?"

The red head blinked as someone called her name, before turning to smile at her teammate. "Merry morning, Raven. Did you have a good sleep of night?" Raven stared at Star for a moment, her eyes narrowing,

"Starfire, what is-"

"Beast Boy left the breakfast for you." Said the alien with a wide smile. Turning, Raven noticed a plate covered by a cloth. She pursed her lips, blushing again at the memories of the previous night, scolding herself inwardly to stop making a big deal out of nothing. Starfire lifted the cloth, smiling widely.

"Waffles." said Raven, rolling her eyes. Why were they always feeding her waffles?

"Waffles of the vegan!" Starfire was suddenly perky, forgetting what she'd previously thought and the breakfast proved to be enough distraction for Raven. "And unreal hen eggs! And tofu!" Raven sighed, unsure if the gesture had been sweet or annoying.

"No, thanks." she said, turning to heat some water.

"But friend Beast Boy took time to prepare you a healthy breakfast for you to feel better today." That reminded Star of something, so she leaned forward on the counter. "How have you been feeling?"

"I'm fine." Starfire blinked.

"Are you certain? Your pale skin now seems flushed. I am not sure what that could mean in human bodies, but… it is bad, no?" That only helped Raven blush further.

"I said I'm fine." And her tone let Starfire know she shouldn't push it, so the alien sat back down, looking out the window again. She sighed, hearing Raven move about behind her and, before she knew it, the empath let a big plate with waffles and eggs fall on the table next to her. Raven sat, still blushing and trying not to make a scene. Starfire just sent her a gentle smile. Her friend was sometimes difficult to understand, but she really seemed to have a good heart. Which reminded her-

"Raven? What does being bonded feel like?" Raven stopped midway, her fork raised and some tofu eggs fell from it.

"Why?"

"I am curious to know what it is like to be inside the mind of somebody else." Raven blinked at her friend, before leaning back, dropping her fork and thinking deeply.

"Remember when we exchanged bodies?" Starfire nodded. "It's something similar, except you can listen to their voice inside your head. A voice you don't control."

"But isn't it intrusive? Especially if it is Jason. Someone who is not very nice. He is in fact a huge _zorrgnarg_" Starfire suddenly slammed her hands on the table, making it shook and Raven had to pick up her plate to keep the food from falling to the floor.

"You spoke to X?" asked the empath, raising an eyebrow.

"I did! And he is not a very nice person." Starfire looked upset.

"He's a criminal, Starfire."

"I understand. I thought I could ask him why was Robin behaving like he was."

"So?"

"So he said I should ask Robin." Raven let out a breath.

"That's actually good advice."

"Yes, but what if Robin does not wish to share his emotions with me?" Then her green eyes sparkled as the girl grabbed Raven, who'd been trying to once again eat something. The fork was pushed away by Star's hands as the girl looked down at the empath hopefully. "But he will talk to you."

"What?"

"Robin trusts you more than he trusts anybody else. Perhaps if you asked him and then you told me, I could rest more easily."

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

"But please, Raven. I am asking you as a sister." Starfire's eyes widened as she looked at Raven with a sad, quivering lower lip. Even though Raven knew the alien was faking it, she couldn't help but feel slightly moved by Star calling her 'sister'.

"…Fine."

"Oh joy!" And Starfire hugged her sister.

"No hugs."

"Just the one!"

…

Beast Boy walked inside the tower quietly, looking around to see if Raven was there. When he found no one, he let out a breath in relief. Just because he'd come to terms with one mind blowing fact: Raven is a girl! Didn't mean he wanted to deal with her right then. Or ever. Yeah, never was good.

The changeling walked in more confidently, moving to check if there was something he could drink. While he moved, he noticed the empty plate he'd left and grinned widely. So she did eat her breakfast! He hummed under his breath happily, turning back to grab the soda and chugging it right there, in front of the fridge, leaning back to hurry the process.

"This is a bad idea."

The familiar voice made Garfield start choking with his soda, his eyes watering as the gas made its way up his nose and through what felt his entire head.

"Oh, Beast Boy! What is it that you're doing? Is this a game?" Starfire and Raven were walking down the aisle, seemingly discussing something when they noticed him.

"I believe he's choking." said Raven monotonously and Starfire flew to him, to slap his back. Garfield gagged at the sudden force that slapped his back, opening his mouth as the orange soda fell from it. Raven pursed her lips, raising an eyebrow.

"Lovely." she said coldly, and turned her back to them. "I'll be going to Robin's then. I just want you to know that I don't approve of this and believe it's a bad idea."

"Thank you, my friend!" said Starfire as she waved her hand, the other one still slapping Beast Boy's back.

"Right." And with that, Raven left the room.

Beast Boy groaned, slipping dramatically to the floor, dropping the now empty bottle. "Why am I always making a fool of myself in front of Rae?" he didn't realize he complained out loud, so Starfire looked down at him with a curious expression.

"I never realized your fool activities were not supposed to be done in front of our friend Raven. Then perhaps you should stop making them." Garfield grunted.

"It's not like I want to look stupid in front of her. It just happens!" Starfire grinned at him.

"Do not worry, Beast Boy. Raven already thinks you are stupid." He sent Starfire a glare. She blinked, still smiling widely making him let out a breath again. Aliens… "Perhaps her presence makes you lose control of yourself?" Starfire suggested lightly, her words not having any sort of double intention, but they still made Beast Boy blush deeply.

"No! No no no. She's- She doesn't! She's- She's no one important. I don't-" But Starfire frowned at his words.

"How can you not consider Raven important? She is our sister!"

"She's not my sister." said Garfield in a low voice, looking down sadly, still blushing. Starfire blinked at him in confusion. Why would he say that?

"Did you and Raven have another of the arguments?" she wondered, and Garfield shrugged, not really wanting to talk about it. "Perhaps what is best is for you to apologize. Then perhaps your fool activities will not affect her as much." Beast Boy turned to her, blinking. Apologize? Well, that could only work if Raven knew what he'd done. And then his eyes widened. Holy crap! Raven knew what he'd done! The blush! The wide eyes! The-

"Oh, no!" He'd touched her! She was an empath and he'd touched her just as he was about to- "Oh no no no no no! Where did Raven go? I need to see her NOW! Robin! Yes! Robin's room!" Starfire blinked in surprise, confused at his reaction, but then she shook her head.

"You cannot search for Raven at this time. She is… busy." Beast Boy looked desperate, so he jumped to his feet, ignoring Starfire, already moving away when she'd started speaking, leaving the alien staring after him.

…

Cyborg was once again linked to the computers, many wires going from his back, his arms to the machine behind him. His skillful fingers pressed the keyboard as information showed right before his eye. The team was a wreck and he knew it. And it was all Red X's fault. Beast Boy well, who knew where he disappeared to all the time. And Robin couldn't deal with his brother at the moment, which made him angry and lost, which left Starfire confused and lost. And then there was Raven, _bonding_ with the thief. Whatever that had been, it certainly hadn't been bonding. Cyborg was not stupid. He knew something was going on with Raven and Red X, and he'd prepared when he installed that glass prison to deal with it.

Raven's lecture showed on his screen and he frowned, crossing his arms in confusion. According to it, she'd only been dreaming, nothing unusual about it at first sight. Then his real eye widened as the most obvious sign hit his head. She hadn't been sleeping the entire time! She'd been healing herself. So why was she dreaming? Or at least, presenting the same reactions the brain has when it's dreaming?

"What did you do, Rave?" he muttered under his breath, his fingers going back to the keyboard. He tried looking for anomalies, anything that would give him some sort of clue on what was going on.

He took a step back when he was done programming, sighing and leaning on the desk. He'd been as tired as the rest of them through this, focusing on Raven's physical reaction to the whole bonding process. She'd been so pale when they found the two, Beast Boy and Raven, on the laboratory floor. And that was never good, according to his slight knowledge. So maybe there was something else going on, something deeper.

A beep brought him out of his thoughts and the screen before him showed a slight red light among the blue that was Raven's brain. He frowned, staring at the red bit, wondering what it could be. He clicked something and a number by the side of the chart caught his robotic eye. The human one followed it and widened at the sudden revelation.

"Damn…"

…

"I'm in no mood for this Raven."

Robin sighed, rubbing his eyes with his mask still on as the empath stared at him with a slight frown. She could feel the frustration in the room without needing to be near him. Robin had never been this shaken since that episode with Slade, yet the empath just stared at him, still frowning.

"You know me better than to know I'll just leave you like this." Robin looked at her, leaning back on his chair. The girl peered at his desk, the picture of a red headed girl on top of many of Jason and Bruce. And she only recognized them all because she'd seen the memories in Jason's head when he recalled what the Joker had done.

"What do you want?" he asked finally, his voice rigid, harsh and she knew he wanted nothing more than to be left alone. But she wouldn't have any of that. She'd been trying to avoid this conversation, but thanks to Starfire, she was going to have it sooner rather than later. And how she dreaded sooner.

"I've been watching Jason's memories." she said plainly, her voice monotonous and Robin glared at her behind his mask.

"I'm glad. At least those two days you were in a coma while we watched over you weren't a total waste of time." His tone was harsh and sarcastic, but she didn't even blink. "What did you learn? And how?"

"You know what I learned. We… talked."

"About the Joker!" He stood, slamming his palms against the desk, but Raven stood there passively. "My personal life is none of your business and I- I've never seen you down at the prison." His eyes narrowed, "Have you been talking to him through your mind?"

"Why didn't you tell us about Barbara?" she asked instead of answering his question. "Why you didn't tell ME about Bruce? About Jason?" He sat back down, glaring down at the desk, staring at the pretty red headed nerdy girl in the wheelchair grinning at the camera.

"Like I said, my own personal issues are not-"

"Jason is your brother."

Dick eyes narrowed at her tone, noticing the endearment. He turned to her, staring with a look of disbelief. "Raven… What did you do?" She didn't react.

"I bonded. You know that."

"No. WE bonded. Did you- did you join your mind with his?" Raven let out a breath, finally reacting, looking away. "When you did that to me, you didn't pass out for two days. You didn't talk to me much through your mind. You- Hell… you did it, didn't you?"

"I was trying to protect you."

"Oh, so it's now down to Dick doesn't have any powers." She glared at him.

"You know me better than that."

"Then what is this is truly about? You wanted to find out about me? Well, mission accomplished."

"I think he's right. I think the Joker deserves to die."

Those last words left the room silent. Richard stared up at her, searching her stoic face. He didn't need to go too deep. He knew her better than anyone, knew how she thought, how she moved and how she worked. He could read her like a book, despite her cold persona, and he was starting to suspect something.

"You like him." Raven rolled her eyes.

"If you think I'll start acting like a stupid crush driven-"

"Aren't you?"

"No!" A lamp exploded and she let out another breath, trying to calm herself. This had been a bad idea.

Richard stared up at her for a moment, regarding her posture, his trained eyes looking for any clues. She liked Jason. Of course she did. But maybe not in the way he first thought.

"Jason is charming. He's always been. That's part of being…" He looked away, sighing before looking down at the icon in his chest. How long was he going to carry that burden? "That's why Bruce liked him in the first place. He had guts and spunk and…"

"And he was different from you." Robin snorted before looking up at her.

"He is NOT right, Raven. We're the heroes. We don't murder people." She didn't change her posture.

"The Joker can barely be called people." His eyes narrowed.

"Is this what you want? To aid Jason in killing a man?" Raven shook her head.

"I didn't say that"

"Really? Because that's what I'm hearing." Silence fell on the two, with Robin staring up at her tiredly, but then he added, with much more conviction in his voice than his outer looks showed he had.

"If you do aid him… if you do go… you have to know we'll have to stop you. We won't like it, but we will stop you." This time it was her eyes that narrowed.

"I didn't say I'm aiding him."

"Then where is this conversation going to?"

Raven looked down, understanding exactly why he was trying to say. But the memories she saw, the emotions she felt from X, the betrayal and yet the light feeling that the real Jason, the kid who'd been killed far too early and had left a hole inside his entire family, was still there.

"Starfire is worried." she tried then, still looking down, knowing full well that, while that had been the excuse, that hadn't been the real reason why she came here. Robin stared at Raven in silence, and then sighed and shrugged, but he didn't say anything else, so Raven tried speaking more, despite hating both the subject and the action. "It wouldn't hurt you to go out there once in a while. I don't know what you're doing here, but maybe if you-"

"I can't face her, Raven." He said in a low voice, his eyes going back to the picture on his desk. "Not now… Not after… Not now." Her eyes followed his and she too stared at the girl in the picture. From what she'd gathered in Jason's mind, she'd learned that Barbara Gordon was a bright woman, kind and very active, none of which had been taken away by the Joker's attempt to murder her. She truly was remarkable and Raven could see why Robin would end up falling for someone like Kori, considering the similar traits the two had.

"You like red heads…" muttered Raven and Richard smiled slightly, before sighing again, running his fingers through his hair.

"You know whatever you do, my duty comes first. But you also know that I trust you fully, Raven. All I ask is for you to be careful. Jason might make some sense, but that doesn't mean we have to go through with it. Other people's actions define THEM, not us. What defines us is the choices we make, and this is one you should make. I trust you'll choose the right one." Raven blinked in surprise, and then gave Robin one of her rare, slight smiles.

"That was quite insightful." He shrugged.

"You're not the only smart titan." She nodded, turning away.

"You should come out sometime. Just have a meal with Starfire. That's all."

"We'll see." Raven nodded again and moved to leave the room. Just as the door opened, she saw Beast Boy staring at her with wide, shocked eyes.

"You merged your mind with Red X?" Her eyes widened. Oh no. Somewhere inside her head she heard a laugh.

_This is going to be fun._


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8. Regrets**

Raven took an extra second to gather what he'd just said. He looked so hurt and shocked at the revelation; she wasn't sure whether she should deny the whole thing. But how could she? With Robin just behind her and having admitted it herself just a moment ago. She couldn't make a fool out of Beast Boy. Her eyes went back to normal as her face took back to its usual emotionless features.

"I don't see how that concerns you." she said instead, coldly, and hating herself for it as she saw the pained expression he gave her. Why couldn't he keep his emotions to himself? She felt the wave of disappointment, anger, sadness and… jealousy? She let out a shaky breath. She couldn't deal with this now. She moved to leave, but her wrist was suddenly grabbed, and she didn't dare pull away.

"Raven! When were you going to tell us?" he demanded, sounding desperate. He looked as if he was ready to either cry or go down and murder X.

"Let go of me, Beast Boy." He didn't miss the use of that name and he snarled, his hand shaking as he squeezed her wrist tighter, making her flinch.

"The hell I will, Raven. What the hell were you thinking? X is a criminal!" She turned to glare at him. For a moment, his eyes widened at the hatred he saw in her eyes but then he went back to snarling.

"Beast Boy! Let her go!" Robin's voice sounded from behind them. He'd stood up and was now with them, standing in the door, watching the scene. But now he could see the Changeling was hurting her.

The green boy snarled again, but dropped her hand. Raven kept glaring back, while grabbing her wrist with her other hand, trying to soothe the pain. Did he even realized how he'd hurt her?

"What are you trying to do, Raven? Why- Why would you do that? Do you-?" He stopped talking, looking down angrily. How could she do this to him? They were friends! They were… they were supposed to trust each other, especially after spending so much time together. Especially after last night. "Do you really like X?"

Raven stared at him with narrowed eyes. Was that what was bothering him? That she could like someone else? Did that mean he like her?

_You must be so happy._

_Not now, Jason._

Before she could say anything, Robin stepped up to Beast Boy, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Raven is doing what she feels is best for the team, Beast Boy. We need to trust her." The green boy turned to look at his leader, still looking sad, and then at Raven who was still holding her wrist. His eyes went down to it and then down to the floor, and she could feel the waves of sadness and disappointment coming from him. But then he nodded, and she let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding back.

"I- I just thought…" started Beast Boy, shyly looking up at Raven. Their eyes met and both flushed and Robin's eyes widened at the reaction. Not at all what he'd been expecting.

"Robin?" The three turned to see Starfire down the hall, floating and looking worried. "Is everything alright?" Robin turned to send Raven a glare, before walking up to his girlfriend with a forced smile.

"Yes, Starfire. I've just been busy. I-"

"He was about to ask you out for lunch. Right?" Helped Raven, her voice stoic, and she earned herself another famous Robin glare.

"Right." he said between his teeth as he narrowed his eyes at the empath before turning back to smile at Starfire. The alien girl looked from one to the other and then squealed happily.

"Oh, happiness!" she flew to give a fast hug to Raven, who just let out a huff as the wind was knocked out of her, and then to Robin, who reached to grab her hand and pull her forward, leaving the other two staring after them.

Raven was the first to get out of the trance, looking at Beast Boy sideways before starting to walk down to her room. She was suddenly stopped by a grab on her hand.

"Rae?" Garfield wasn't sure what he was supposed to say or ask, but he was sure he didn't like what she'd done. "I-"

"We have nothing to discuss." she said before he could ask anything, turning to leave him behind, but he walked up to her, hurrying behind.

"Raven, we really need to talk!"

"No, we don't."

"Raven, please! Last night…" He stopped, still unsure, and she stopped walking as well, letting out a tired sigh.

"I don't want to talk about it, Beast Boy." He stared at her sadly. She wasn't even going to let him apologize? Was this because of X?

"Is this because of X?" he voiced his thoughts, his voice desperate. "Raven! He's a criminal! How could you- He's- He's only going to end up hurting you. Don't you remember Malchior? Don't you remember how sad you were? He's going to betray you sooner or later and you'll just-"

"Stop." Raven turned to glare at him. "You have no idea what you're talking about, so don't try to interfere. Robin gave you an order. You have to trust me. So now I-"

"You can't even trust yourself." He glared at her. He knew talking about Malchior was a low blow, but he'd been betrayed too, he knew what it was like and he truly didn't wish that pain for Raven.

"I-" She wasn't sure what to say to that as she looked down at the floor. "You don't know him like I do."

…_Wow. True. Still: wow._

Those words broke something inside him. He stared at her with wide, hurt eyes as he felt his stomach suddenly fall, as if his inner organs had somehow disappeared, leaving a hollow, empty space.

"I never thought you could be so stupid." His words made her look at him again, wide and offended.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me!" He took a step toward her, feeling his chest tighten as he saw her hurt violet eyes. "You're being an idiot! That's Red X you let inside your head. He'll know everything there is to know about you! About US! You're risking the team and you know it, and just because you have a stupid crush-"

"It's not a crush…"

_Could be a crush._

"We have to pay for your mistakes. Well, I'm tired of it. I'm tired of your selfishness and your stupidity!" Her eyes narrowed.

"I'll be more careful if I was you." she warned, taking a step closer.

"Or what? You'll go cry to your new boyfriend?" She huffed, straightening her back.

"I don't need to give you any explanations." she said, already turning to leave, but he was suddenly in front of her as she took a couple of steps and she cursed him under her breath.

"Yeah, you do! Because we're supposed to be friends here and you're throwing everything away over some stupid-"

"Don't-"

"Inconsiderate,"

"Stop."

"Selfish."

"That's enough."

"MURDERER."

"ENOUGH!"

The lamps in the hallway exploded, one next to the other, and they were both engulfed with darkness. Their eyes appeared to glow in the dark as they stared at each other, both furious.

"You have no idea what you're talking about, Beast Boy." He let out a bitter laugh.

"So it's 'Beast Boy' now." Her eyes narrowed.

"If you can't trust me then how can we even be friends?"

"If you don't think of anyone but yourself, how can we even be friends?" he retorted back, glaring down at her. She kept quiet, and he smiled bitterly at her. "What convinced you to go to him? Was it the bad boy look? Was it the fact that he might be the only person on earth who would be interested in…" He stopped as soon as he saw the sadness on her eyes and he knew he went too far. He sighed, though he was still angry. "He will never change, Rae. He'll never be willing to…" To what, exactly? There was a nagging thought inside his head that he tried to avoid, because he'd been rationalizing that he didn't actually like her like that, that she was a sister, or something similar, that he couldn't want her. And yet, he still couldn't help but question himself: why X and not him? "He'll never make you happy."

Despite his best efforts, his previous words were still in Raven's mind. The only person on earth who would be interested in her… Was that what he was going to say? So all those waves of jealousy, what did they mean?

_He's not wrong, and you know it. I do like you._

She felt her emotions craving to get out, craving to make her cry and whimper and destroy everything around her. But outside, Raven was just herself, glaring at the boy in front of her and otherwise emotionless.

"We're done here." And she turned, already walking down the hallway. He didn't follow her this time, just stared at the shadow her cloak made in the darkness as his eyes adjusted to it. Everything was going to hell... He punched the wall, making a dent on the metal.

"Dammit."

…

She wanted to run, to cry her eyes out, to use her powers to destroy him for having such a mouth.

_-You okay, love?_

_-Jason, not now._

_-I can feel how upset you are, Raven. We could talk about it._

_-There's nothing to talk about._

_-Look, I know we're still supposed to be enemies and all, but that sort of changes when all you get to do is stare at the memories and emotions of the other person. I can feel how angry you are. So come over here and we'll talk._

_-I'm not sure I can trust you._

_-Too bad because I'm all you have now, love._

She fell quiet then, stopping right in front of the door to her room. She'd been meaning to meditate, but she wasn't sure she could handle it now…

_Come on, love. It's not like touching me will make you feel my emotions more than you already do._

That was logical enough for her. With a sudden shudder and a restrained sob, she turned to fly down the hallway, fast enough. Though her face was emotionless, random things around her exploded, lamps and light bulbs were destroyed as she flew as fast as she could, not trusting herself to make a portal. Before she knew it, she was down at the prison room. The door opened and there he was, sitting on the floor.

As soon as he saw her, X stood up, leaning casually against the glass. He looked thin, though she was sure Dick would never leave him unfed. She also felt a sudden rush of restlessness, which was reasonable considering how much time he'd been trapped.

"Hey." he greeted her, leaning against the glass to see her better. "Will it be too stupid to ask you 'how are you?" his voice was sardonic, but she was in no mood for jokes. Raven floated until she was standing right in front of the glass, staring at him emotionlessly. "You look better than I thought you would." She raised an eyebrow.

"How am I supposed to look?" she wondered, her voice coming out as a whisper since she couldn't speak up without breaking out in sobs. He shrugged, crossing his arms.

"With what I'm feeling from you? Weeping, crying your eyes out, cursing all mankind for this one stupid boy. You know, girl stuff." It was so odd to hear his voice in her ears instead of her mind.

"Oh." She looked down, unsure of what to do next. Despite her best efforts, a machine suddenly let out sparkles and tiny lights exploded. She heard him sigh and when she looked up, he had both hands pressed against the glass.

"You know what you need?" he asked, his tone still light and she raised an eyebrow.

"New friends?" He chuckled.

"A hug." Raven glared at him.

"I don't do hugs."

"Sure you do. You just can't because you feel what others are feeling. But with me, you already feel that, so what's the problem?" Raven looked at him curiously. Why was he being so nice?

"Because I like you, love." Of course. He could still read her mind. Funny how that nickname he'd given her now didn't bother her as much as when they first met. "I knew you were starting to like me." Her eyes went back to his masked self as he extended his arms. "Well?" Raven sent him a glare.

"You're in prison." He shrugged.

"So get me out." She snorted and he shook his head. "Right, right. How about you come in here?" That she could do. After some thought, and another small explosion, her eyes went black as she chanted.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos." And a black portal appeared next to her. She went in, disappearing in the shadows. For a moment there, X thought she'd left, but then another black portal appeared next to him and out of it came Raven. She stared at him for a moment, unsure of what to do.

"Well?" he asked, arms stretched out, and she couldn't help herself anymore. She walked into his embrace, which he didn't deny her and hid her face against his shoulder. "See? This isn't so bad." And truly, it wasn't. She sobbed despite herself, and she rubbed her face against him, trying to control herself. "He doesn't deserve you, love." Jason said and she tightened her hold around him.

…

Cyborg moved out of his room and down the hall, hurrying to get to Raven. He had the results in his hands, always with the evidence since he knew how stubborn she could be at times. He found Beast Boy standing in the darkness, staring down the hallway.

"Hey, man." greeted Victor, looking around. "What happened to the lights? Or the wall, jeez." He saw Beast Boy shrug through his bionic eye and Cyborg raised his human eyebrow. "What's going on, B? Cat got your tongue?" The green boy didn't answer and the half robot let out a breath. He would deal with him later. Now he had some more pressing matters. "Have you seen Rave? I have some… news." At the mention of the empath, Garfield turned to his friend, letting him see his expression. "Man, what happened to you?" The green boy sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I- I don't know, dude. I just- I think I made Raven mad at me." Cyborg could almost laugh at that.

"Don't get so sad about that, B." he said lightly, slapping the shorter guy on his back. "You make Rave angry all the time. But now I really need to find her. I have some… well, some bad news." Beast Boy looked up at him in wonder.

"Bad news?" he repeated, "There's something wrong with Raven?" Cyborg looked down at his friend for a moment, before placing a hand on his head, messing up his hair.

"Don't worry, B. I'll just talk to her and we can stop this. It won't be a problem." Beast Boy nodded, trying to fix his hair.

"She's probably in her room. I- Let's go…" Cyborg blinked at the green boy following close behind him.

"Did I miss something?" Beast Boy sighed sadly.

"Dude, you have no idea." And Cyborg decided not to ask.

The two walked down the hallway and right to Raven's door. Cyborg waited for Beast Boy to knock, but he was just staring nervously at the door, so he decided he should do it.

"Rave? Hey, Rave? You in there?" There was no answer, and Beast Boy was getting impatient.

"Come on, Raven! Open up!" He didn't care that much if she got angrier with him, so he pounded hard and loudly. Still no answer. With a glare, the green boy turned into a gorilla.

"Man! Chill out!" said Cyborg, taking a step back, but the green beast was already opening the door by force. It was torn from the wall roughly, and the gorilla transformed back into a panting and angry Beast Boy.

"We're not done talking, Raven!" he yelled out, but as soon as he walked in he noticed Raven wasn't there.

"Empty." Cyborg muttered, following him inside. "Great." He usually didn't like doing that, but he looked down at his arm, accessing the localization system, trying to track Raven. His eyes widened at what he saw. "I found her." Beast Boy turned to him.

"Where is she?" Cyborg sighed.

"X's prison." And Beast Boy let out a growl, before turning into a cheetah and running to get to her.

"B, wait!" Cyborg followed close behind.

…

Raven was still not moving, finding some kind of comfort in the contact. She'd never been one to appreciate the warmth from another human being, but now she felt, at least for the moment, at peace. She heard Jason chuckle.

"Glad I could help." He muttered and she let out a huff.

"Don't flatter yourself. Anyone would do." He smiled behind his mask.

"Keep telling yourself that, love, but we both know you're starting to like me." She didn't answer. First because she didn't know the answer to that and, second, because of the sudden change of behavior in Red X's. His arms dropped from her and she looked up at him in wonder. He was looking behind her and so she turned to see what was going on.

"Raven." Beast Boy was staring at the two with wide eyes, shaking, Cyborg behind him, also shocked.

"Um… Rave. I think you might want to-"

"Is this what you've been doing?!" Beast Boy interrupted Cyborg, taking a step closer to her. Her expression quickly turned from shock to anger at his tone. "You've been… fraternizing with him?" She raised an eyebrow, staring at him coldly, somewhat amused at the fact that he knew the word 'fraternizing'. Behind her, X chuckled.

"Don't come any closer." she warned him, glaring and taking a step closer to X. Jason just was amused by the whole thing.

_You're an ass._

_I'm not denying it, love._

"Look, Rave. I just need to talk to you." Cyborg was saying, but then turned to Beast Boy as he noticed the green boy was growling.

"Get out of there this instant." Garfield screamed out and Raven huffed angrily.

"Stop telling me what to do." Her voice was cold and that didn't suit well with him.

"I said GET OUT!" And he went back to a giant gorilla shape, slamming the glass with all his might.

"BEAST BOY!" Cyborg yelled at him, jumping back as he tried breaking the prison he'd worked so hard on. "STOP!" But the green boy was too angry, so he kept slamming the almost indestructible material. Raven's eyes went dark, her hands powering up, but then she saw the crack and there wasn't much time to think.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" And a black portal opened. She sent a glare at the gorilla as it stopped as soon as he realized what she'd done. His almost white eyes widened and he groaned painfully, staring at her through the glass sadly.

"Let's go."

Well, X wasn't going to complain. Raven went inside the portal, getting lost in the darkness. Jason looked from her to the other titans, before saluting them goodbye.

"See you later, pet." The portal closed as soon as he entered, and they were gone.

"NO!" Beast Boy was suddenly standing instead of the giant gorilla, pounding at the glass. "Rae…"

Cyborg sighed, placing a hand on his bald head and looking down at the papers. This was bad. This was very bad.

…

"You did the right thing, love."

Raven stared down at the tower, her cloak moving behind her as she hid in it. X was standing there, watching her from behind, arms crossed as he leaned against a wall. The two of them were on top of a random building where Raven had transported them to.

"I'm not sure about that…" she muttered back, her eyes narrowing. He felt her emotions and noticed her regret, the sadness. It was bad enough to deal with his own pain, so he let out a breath and walked up at her.

"Hey, they're your friends. They'll forgive you letting me out." She turned to him, her face emotionless.

"What are you going to do?" she wondered and he shrugged. He seemed to struggle for a moment, before taking off his mask. It was funny how even seeing him in his own memories didn't hide her shock at seeing his face in the flesh. He looked a lot like Robin, with that red mask covering just his eyes. His hair was messy and not exactly short, looking auburn with the sunlight, but dark in colour. And his face was handsome, very handsome. It worked as a reminded of Robin's warning. Jason snorted.

"I'm glad you approve, love." She didn't reply to that. Instead, she asked,

"You wear a mask under your mask?" He almost laughed at the question.

"Well, Bruce taught us to keep our identity protected. I'm not exactly grey with violet eyes and blue hair, so I can walk around normally if I want to. And this mask Robin made is not that great…" She stared down at the skull shaped mask. "Better than a red one." she replied bitterly and he smiled. She looked up at him, wondering what his eyes would look like. If he truly looked as much as Robin as he did now.

"Fine." He said, as if giving in at a quiet request and took off his last mask. Raven just stared. He didn't. Instead of blue eyes, Jason had bright green, devious eyes, with some scars around his left eye. _From the crowbar._ And he was smirking, his eyes also devoid of the warmth that were usually in Richard's eyes when she managed to catch him without his mask.

Before she knew it, he was leaning down and toward her and her eyes widened as she realized he was going to kiss her.

_You're slow. _

And her eyes glowed dark.

"Don't touch me." she warned him, making him stop and open his eyes. "Just because I let you out doesn't mean I approve of you." He smirked, straightening up again.

"You like me, love."

"You're a criminal."

"And that's exactly why you like me."

Before she could answer, the pin on her cloak started to beep and her Titan communicator started to ring. Raven sighed, taking it out and staring down at it. Cyborg. She pursed her lips, knowing full well they would track her. After a silent prayer for forgiveness, her hand glowed dark, covering the communicator and she closed her palm around the weakened material. It crushed as if it was nothing and she stared down at her hand thoughtfully.

Jason stared at her, putting on his red mask again, followed by the skull one. "So? What are we waiting for?" He started to move, walking backwards and she could hear the smile in his voice. Raven turned to him, her expression serious.

"You must be joking." she said stoically, though he could feel her inner turmoil.

"Not at all. You have nowhere to go, right? And we're friends, love. Sort of. Where else would you go?" That question brought her back to reality as she turned to stare at the Tower. She couldn't go back there. Not yet.

"Let's go…" And she turned her back at the tower, following X as he jumped down the back.

…


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9. Emotions. **

"You're the dullest date I've ever had."

Red X was leaning against a wall of the rundown apartment, staring at her in boredom. They'd spend the night there, with X breaking the lock, for some reason knowing it was empty. It reminded Raven of the visions she had from him, living on the street, not knowing what to do. No boy should live like that and yet, it seemed that it was common for Gotham city to have kids in such situations. He had to steal to survive, among other horrible things. Raven had never even spend a night outside of a home, or slept on something that wasn't a bed, so when she saw the images she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. No one should live through that.

"I thought your meditation was supposed to be about you, not me." He sounded annoyed and yet she didn't open her eyes or broke her lotus position. "Save your pity for yourself, love. You just lost everything you've ever had."

That did break her concentration though, so she levitated back to the ground, opening her eyes and sending him a glare. "This is not a date." she started from the beginning, "And meditation is about everything that troubles my mind. In case you didn't notice, you've been troubling my mind lately." He smirked and she wished he would put his mask back on.

"Can't stop thinking about me?" She didn't answer, mostly because it was true. But thinking of him helped her stop thinking of Garfield, and that was enough for her. She stood; walking toward him and his eyes followed her dully. Truly very different from Richard, despite his appearance. X snorted, looking away as she sat next to him.

"Stop comparing me to him. I had to look like him in order to take his place when he left Gotham. Nothing else but the suit is similar." She stared for a moment.

"I know." He sighed, leaning back and sending her a smirk.

"So, why you came over here? Changed your mind about that kiss?" She ignored that and kept staring.

"Why do YOU keep comparing yourself to Richard?" she asked softly and she was suddenly filled with a rush of dark emotions. Envy, hatred, the horrifying feeling that no matter what she did, no matter how hard she tried, she was never going to be enough. But why? Jason stared at her back, knowing full well she was feeling what he felt. "You didn't have to live in his shadow. You could've been your own person." He snorted.

"I was a replacement, love. Just like I had one when I died. There are nothing but shadows in the Wayne family." He smiled again that dangerous smile and leaned to her. "But you know all about living in the shadows, eh? My little demon?" It was her time to look at him dully.

"I'm not my father." He snorted.

"But you're not Azar either." She didn't answer, just glared, realizing that the spell was a two way street, and he could see of her as much as she saw of him. Raven stood up then, no longer wishing to offer him comfort, mad that her own trick was being used against her. How could she even help when he kept rejecting her?

"You're the one who rejected me, love." He answered her thoughts and she sent him another glare. He chuckled as he pulled something out of his pockets. Raven raised an eyebrow as he pulled a cigar, lightening as if it was nothing.

"Want one?" He offered, already knowing the answer.

"Those things will kill you." she mentioned without thinking and he smirked around the cigar, giving her a sardonic look. She almost flushed at her own foolishness.

"Right…"

The place smelt of smoke next and she hoped she could go back to her home. She peered outside the window. The titan's tower wouldn't even show in the horizon.

"You can always go back." She heard him say, but she didn't turn her gaze to him.

"I can't." He sighed, stretching out.

"You give him too much importance, love. Who cares about a stupid guy who can't understand you?" That made her turn, frowning.

"What do you know about him?" He was still smirking.

"Just what you know. That he's an idiot who goofs around all the time. He can't even control his own emotions, let alone understand yours. That he drives you wild with his rampant feelings all the time and crazy with his stupid jokes. That you know you should hate him and you can't understand why you can't." He lost his smirk. "I don't understand it either."

"No, you wouldn't." Her gaze turned back to the window and she felt his emotions dull again.

"No. Because I only care about myself." It was as if he was trying to convince himself as he joked.

"And that's why you're helping Robin." He snorted.

"I'm not 'helping Robin'. I'm trying to kill a man." She didn't turn because she knew he was lying.

"I can see inside your head Jason. I know you still think of him… of them as your brothers."

"So what? You think I'll reform and change my mind? You weren't there." She turned to him, staring sadly.

"No, but I saw it and I felt it."

"Very different, love."

"Yes. But I still can understand it better than anybody else."

He stood, throwing the cigar on the floor. He stepped on it, twisting his feet and burning the wood under it, as if he'd wanted to cause damage just for the sake of it.

"Where are you going?" she asked, moving behind him as he turned to leave, feeling helpless now that she was alone.

"What? Now you're going to start keeping tabs on me?" He was grinning but she noticed he was blocking his mind to her, for a question like that would've showed the answer right away. He rolled his eyes as he read her mind. "I'm just going for a walk. I've been trapped in a glass prison for days, thanks for that by the way, and I want to stretch my muscles. See you, love." Without waiting for her to say anything, he jumped out the window.

Raven glared at it now, suddenly feeling helpless. She'd never appreciated the company of others, always wanting to be left alone. Now that she was, she couldn't help but notice how much she'd relied on her friends.

'_You think you're alone Raven, but you're not.'_

The memory came back in his voice and she sighed, moving to sit again and try to meditate. _Don't think about it. Just relax._

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos." Despite her best efforts, the sole working light bulb in the apartment exploded.

…

"This is all my fault." Said Beast Boy, his hands buried in his hair as he sat on the couch, panicking.

"No one is denying that." Answered Robin coldly. He was standing in front of him, arms crossed, looking angrier than Garfield had ever seen him before. "What exactly were you thinking, Beast Boy? Raven wasn't going to AID X. You pushed her to it!" Beast Boy glared up at his leader.

"You didn't see them, dude! They were- they were- they were hugging!" Robin could've rolled his eyes. As unorthodox as that was, it was still innocent enough.

"So?"

"Dude! Don't you see it?! She's going all bananas on X and his-his- his stupid suit." Robin glared at him.

"What's wrong with my suit?"

"It sucks!"

"It doesn't!"

"So does! Dude, you have like a latex body suit complex!"

Cyborg cleared his throat.

"Um, guys. Not that this argument is not important, but I have some stuff I-" He looked down at the papers for a moment. "I need to share with ya'll. I wasn't going to show anyone but Rave, but since she left…" His red eye flashed for a second and the screen on the living room turned on to show the outline of Raven and a picture of what appeared to be her brain. There were blue lights all about, with a massive red light in the middle.

"Is that the inner view of her head?" wondered a worried looking Starfire from her spot on the couch.

"It's her brain, yeah." answered Cyborg, as the image twisted and turned to the side, showing the middle part. The red light was coming from there. "That's the amygdala. See that red light? Well, it shows that it's not working right. Far too much is going on there." Robin frowned and turned to the half bot.

"What does that mean?"

"Well, usually, it means Raven's having a panic attack, but she's been relatively calm lately, with no random monsters appearing or stuff breaking… well, apart from last night." He sent a scornful look toward the ceiling lamps that had exploded. "Anyway, that got me thinking about what could possibly be causing so much emotion exploding inside her head without her realizing it, and then, well, it was obvious." Robin's eyes narrowed.

"X."

"Yeah. Rave isn't only feeling her own emotions, but everything Red X feels." He sighed, sitting on the couch, staring up at the screen. "Not only that, but look at this chart." The screen changed to show what he'd been talking about. "See the epinephrine? It's off charts, but her serotonin levels are still low. And that's just what worries me."

Beast Boy stared up in confusion. "What does it mean?" Cyborg sighed, crossing his arms as he stared up at the chart.

"Well, considering she's under so much stress, with her emotions changing constantly, her body is trying to cope. Which means her anxiety levels are high."

"But Raven has always been under stress as part of her powers. That is why she has to meditate." said Starfire, remembering the time she had to deal with those powers herself.

"Yeah, that's the thing. She'd always been good at dealing with her own emotions, but we're talking about double douses here. Plus the low serotonin means she'll lose it any moment now." Cyborg explained, taking out his communicator and staring at it with a bitter smile. The map showed 'Not Found' as the name 'Raven' showed on top. "Rave needs to break off the spell before it drives her crazy." Beast Boy looked up worriedly.

"What would happen if…?" he stared, unsure on how to end the sentence.

"What always happens to Raven when she loses control." said Robin, glaring at the screen.

"Except this time… well, like I said, it's double doses." added Cyborg and Garfield sighed, his hands going back to his hair.

"But if she didn't mean for this to happen, then why did she join minds with that freak?" Robin frowned at the name Gar had given his brother but decided to not say anything against it.

"I don't know… All I know is that she's trying to help me." Robin walked again, going from one place to the other and back, going in circles anxiously. "I have a feeling that whatever Raven's trying to do has to do with the fact that she still considers X my brother. Whatever it is, we can't stay still if X is still trying to kill."

"Why must we go through all that trouble to save the mad man called Joker?" asked Starfire with a pout, earning herself a glare from her boyfriend.

"Because we DON'T kill." Said Robin between gritted teeth.

"But it would not be us who do the murdering. It would be Red X."

"That doesn't matter! As long as Red X is in the city, we need to find a way to stop him. He's our responsibility."

Starfire frowned at her boyfriend. "I will not be yelled at." She said indignant, "I do not agree with your terms, Robin, but since I am part of this team and you are still its leader, I shall accept them." And she leaned back in a huff, crossing her arms angrily.

"Start searching for Raven." He ordered, dismissing what had happened. And then, his eyes narrowed at Beast Boy, "We better find her in time, because if we don't I'll personally make you pay." The green boy returned the glare with a dangerous stare of his own.

"You can try."

"Hey!" Cyborg called, standing up, "This isn't time to be fighting among us. Rave's in danger and I'll be damned if we lose her because you two are too busy glaring at each other." Robin sighed, nodding.

"Cyborg is right. Until we find Raven, we do nothing but search for her or X." But his voice gave out a promise for later and Beat Boy nodded.

Just then the alarm went off and they all turned to stare at the screen as the image changed from Raven's diagram to a map of Jump City, showing the exact place the alarm had activated.

"I guess we won't have to look for that long…" muttered Beast Boy, shaking with anger.

"Titans, go!"

All of them ran out leaving the living room empty. On the screen, bright as the day outside, was a map of Jump City, a bright, blinking red dot showing exactly where the attack had happened: Jump City's Research and Development department.

…

Raven gasped as a noise woke her up. She sighed, holding her head as a headache started to form, the buzzing in her head making it impossible to relax. Apparently, she'd fallen asleep while meditating, but that had only ruined the little peace she had since arriving to this place.

She leaned back, eyes closed as the buzzing continued. And then she felt it. There was something going on. A rush of adrenaline hit her and she felt the sudden urge to run. She looked down at herself, noticing the blinking on her chest. The pin holding her cloak was glowing red and buzzing. An alarm had been set off. She sighed, standing up, her headache growing and a random chair exploded near her. She tried to calm her running heart, regulate her breathing. Her hands were shaking and she felt once again a rush of adrenaline, the need to destroy something, anything, with her bare hands.

"What is happening?" she questioned herself, looking down at her hands. At last, the buzzing on her pin had stopped, but she didn't even notice as her eyes widened at the sight of her hands. They were pale, far more than usual.

And then, just as sudden as the adrenaline that she'd felt before, pure envy.

"_He always loved you more!"_

What? She blinked, holding her head.

"_You were his favorite! You know that. Always so proud of you. Didn't see the mistake you were. I was always better than you, and he couldn't see it over the grief of losing YOU!"_

"Jason, don't!" she gasped, shaking in rage. This wasn't her rage, this wasn't her emotion, but she was feeling it all the same.

"_And when the time came for me, he didn't do it! He didn't have the balls to kill him!"_

_Stop. Please, Jason. You need to control yourself._

"_A bit busy here, love. What's up?" _

_Why am I-?_

"_Hold on."_

The scenery changed around her and she saw many memories flashing before her eyes. Jason looking up at Bruce as he modeled his new Robin suit, waiting for him to smile proudly. Instead, a sad and nostalgic smile. Jason turning to grin at Batman, to show him how he'd stopped a bandit, just to be scolded and yelled at. Jason looking at Batman's back, his eyes tearful, though holding back since he didn't want to look weak. Jason staring up at the Joker, his left eye so swollen he could barely see, as the crowbar made it's way back to it. Jason in the middle of a fire, his lungs filling up and it hurt, just like it hurt Raven as she felt what he'd felt, as if her chest was on fire…

Raven heard another piece of furniture explode and she fell to her knees.

_Jason, please. You need to control yourself._

"_Who need to control themselves are your friends, love." _

_What?_

"_They are attacking me."_

_Why?_

"_Um… I may have, sort of tried to steal something. Not my fault your leader set alarms everywhere!" _

_The laboratory…_

"_Yeah. Funny story. You'll love it."_

_You need to get out of there._

"_Why?"_

_Don't fight Robin, Jason. Please._

"_Too late!"_

Raven groaned again and something else exploded. The memories came rushing back like water. Jason waking up, trying to swim desperately as he started drowning in the water of Lazarus Pit. A confused Jason running away from everything, his body painfully changing and adjusting to the new life. The urge to return to Gotham, to Bruce, only to see him soaring the skies with someone else. Jason living on the street, hurting his feet with glass as he moved around with bare feet. Jason cutting up cardboard boxes to make shoes.

_Oh, Jason…_

"_Love?"_

_I'm sorry._

"_What?"_

_You need to get out of there._

"_Yeah! Not happening."_

_Yes. It must happen._

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos." And Raven disappeared through the black shadow that suddenly appeared on the floor.

…

Jason grunted, getting up from the floor. He really needed his belt. He smirked behind his mask as Robin walked up to him slowly.

"It's over, X."

The thief coughed behind his mask and he could feel the blood on his face from the previous hit. He wished once again that the mask wasn't as constricting as it was now. But he couldn't help himself. He loathed the fact that he looked like Richard, hated that he could easily be mistaken if wearing the right suit. And so he hid his face, hid his shame.

"Nothing is over, Richard. We're just getting started."

Beast Boy growled loudly, turning into a wolf for a moment to get to him faster, his teeth near the thief as he salivated, the urge of tearing his face out filling him, but he couldn't kill him like he wanted to. Not yet. So he changed back to being the green boy, though his expression didn't change.

"Where is she?!" He demanded, screaming right at him face. He pulled him up roughly, his hands clutching the sides of his cape as he shook him desperately. "Where is she, X!? Tell me now or I swear I'll kill you."

"Wow, so dark of you." joked X with some struggle. "I doubt your leader over there will let you." Garfield snarled.

"I can still rough you up pretty bad." THAT X didn't doubt.

"Please, X." urged Starfire next, floating near them, "We need to find friend Raven."

Cyborg was next. "If we don't find her soon, something very bad will happen to her."

X was quiet for a moment, struggling on what to say, before pushing Beast Boy weakly. It did nothing but make him angrier. The green boy snarled at him, but Robin took a step closer.

"Beast Boy, let him go." After some struggle to control himself, Garfield dropped the boy to the floor, still growling and took a step back, fighting the urge to kick him while he was down. X coughed as he tried getting up, struggling to throw himself to a sitting position again.

"Good boy." he said with mirth, as if regarding a dog, making Beast Boy snarl again. The thief looked up at the four of them, knowing he'd lost.

"Funny you mention Raven." He started with a light tone, despite being so hurt. He did flinch at the scratch on his chest. When did that animal-? He shook his head.

"Why is that funny?" asked Starfire curiously, obviously missing his intention. X just smirked at her behind his mask before looking past them.

"Because she's here."

With that the four of them turned to see the empath floating down to the floor, regarding them emotionlessly.

"Raven!" Beast Boy rushed to her, smiling widely, relief filling his body. But then her eyes glowed black and she raised her arms. It almost happened in slow motion as he realized she was going to attack him. "Rae…" he managed to whisper before it happened.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" She yelled out, and a dark shadow pushed the green boy to the ground.

"Dude! What-?" The rest of the team was moving, trying to get close to her.

"Please, Raven! You don't have to do this!" urged Robin, but Raven regarded him stoically.

"That's where you're wrong." And her eyes glowed black again. The girl floated, dodging Robin as he attacked her, trying to pin her down but missing. Starfire looked around confused, unsure of what to do.

"Please, Raven! We're your friends!" The empath turned to her sadly.

"And as such you should understand why I must do this." Her hands glowed dark again, as she moved closer to X, getting past each titan as she went. Starfire didn't put up a fight, as her hands glowed green, but before she could do anything, she doubted and that's when Raven had her chance.

"Rave! Come on!" Cyborg urged her, his gun raised and pointed at the girl. "Don't make me do this, girl." Raven turned to him, for a moment not being able to hide her sadness as she stared at whom she considered her big brother.

"I'm sorry." she managed, before her eyes glowed dark again. Cyborg didn't think and shoot, but a black barrier managed to stop the hit, only to be broken and the girl fell to the ground. Cyborg rushed to her.

"Raven. That spell you made is driving you crazy. Those emotions aren't yours." She looked at him for a moment, unsure of what to say and then,

"I know." And he was pushed back with so much energy he was left knocked out.

But then Robin was back; dodging everything she threw at him. He was too good, too well trained, and he hit her on the back. The empath fell to the ground in all fours, looking up with a grimace at Robin.

"I know this isn't you, but you must fight it Raven." She shook her head.

"You're wrong…" she muttered sadly, "This is me." And her eyes glowed dark again. Before Robin knew what was happening, something behind him rushed to him, a table covered in dark energy, knocking him out as well. And then there was only one left.

Beast Boy had been watching the entire scene from his position on the floor, eyes wide, shaking his head as if it was a nightmare and that would make him wake up. Raven floated toward him and then landed, looking down at him sadly.

"Why are you doing this Raven?" He asked in a whisper, still staring at her. The empath looked away, staring at the hurt X on the other side of the room. She just needed to get past Beast Boy to reach him.

"You wouldn't understand." She said and her teammate shook his head. That longing look she'd sent X was enough to make him mad again. He growled, turning into a lion and jumping to get her. Raven moved away, eyes still dark. She made a barrier to keep him from hitting her, but then the lion was a dinosaur, too strong for her to hold back, and it was destroyed. He pushed her backwards this way, and she could only defend herself. But then his emotions won and he was back to being Beast Boy.

"We're your friends!" He screamed out, trying to punch her and she dodged easily. It brought back memories of the time they'd been sparring together and she couldn't help the sudden regret she felt. "Why is he more important than us? WHY?" Raven took a step back, looking down as he stopped attacking her.

"My intentions have changed." she tried to explain and despite her trust to tell him, those words made him feel the same rush of wrath he'd felt before. And this time, Raven could place the emotion. Her eyes widened as she saw him coming. Jealousy.

"So that's it?" He yelled out, "You're choosing him over us? Over me?" He was speaking out of anger, without realizing what he was saying.

"I'm not choosing anybody." she said with a cold voice. That angered him again.

"You should choose US!" And he was suddenly back in lion shape. He jumped at her, his huge paws pressed against her shoulders and she fell backwards, groaning in pain as her back hit the floor. And there he was, growling as a lion as she stared up at him dully, still on the ground. For a moment there, the two stared at each other and Raven felt the rage coming from him through his paws. This was why it made it so hard for her to let him touch her. His nature made him uncontrollable, emotional and with little reason to care. She felt the waves of pain, anger, and jealousy and all she could do was stare up at him. But then she felt it, another emotion, something she'd felt before and yet, she'd never been the target of it. It was like the night he'd wanted to kiss her, but the emotion wasn't exactly the same. It was pain and regret, mixed with something warmer, something more powerful.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered, bending her arms to place her hands on the powerful paws. The lion changed its expression, going from growling to sad, letting out a painful whimper. And then he changed back to his human form and stared down at her, still confused, still angry, still sad.

"Raven, I-" His words were cut short as her arms went around his neck, pulling him down for a hug. His eyes widened, but he let himself be hugged. And she felt it again, that powerful emotion and she almost gasped. Something around them exploded but neither turned. His arms went around her, clinging to her as if she was about to slip away. He nuzzled the side of her head, much like a cat would, breathing her in. He'd never been this close to her, and the emotional turmoil that had been fighting her had left him weak and drowned, emotions raw, this newfound feeling pulsating through him, unable to identify it. But she knew, felt it through him, his love, like being covered by warmth, spreading from him through her.

"Gar…" she whispered and he turned to look at her. And she kissed him.

His eyes widened in shock as she felt her press her lips against his. But the shock didn't last long, as the pleasure of the tender caress lured him in, and his eyes closed, savoring her taste, and something else exploded.

_Love?_

X's voice in her head brought her back to reality and she remembered Jason was hurt and probably bleeding out and looking at her as she kissed Beast Boy, so she parted from the green boy and he sighed, looking at her with dazed eyes and doubt.

"Rae? What- Why?" he whispered breathlessly, wondering what had just happened, but she looked back at him sadly.

"I'm sorry." She repeated as her hand, glowing dark, was pressed against his cheek. His eyes fluttered and he fell on her, passed out. She sighed, closing her eyes in regret, before pushing him off her. She stood, her stare on his sleeping face lingering for a moment, before walking slowly toward Red X.

"Oh, you still haven't forgotten about me?" he joked, amused by the scene that had happened in front of him. She didn't answer as she knelt beside him, her hands spread out, staring to heal him. "Come on, love. Don't go all quiet on me! That was pretty brave of you. And I'm touched. Choosing me over your teammates? I'm flattered." She glared at him, still silent. "I got to admit, that kiss was kind of a turn off." And then his smile widened behind his mask, "Or a turn on. Depending on the perspective."

Raven stood when she was done. "We need to go. They won't stay down for too long." And she started walking away. Red X blinked up at her in surprise and then turned to look at her team. Passed out, but otherwise unharmed.

_You're good._

_No… I'm not._

…


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10. In the middle.**

"Friend Beast Boy?"

Why did she kiss him? Garfield Logan sighed, resting his chin on his hand, eyes lost, staring at nothing in particular. If the situation hadn't been that bad, he would've been grinning. But now? It was just too messy. Did that kiss mean she liked him? Nah. This was Raven, she didn't like anybody. Well, except for that Malchior dragon guy, and that goth kid dude, and… X. He sighed for what felt the thousand time that minute, unsure of what to feel. Sure, he'd wanted to kiss her before. Or then. Or always lately, but her? He was sure it'd been her who kissed him first, so why? Did she feel his desire and just beat him to it? But this was Raven! She felt things all the time and never acted out on anything! Well, unless it was anger, or annoyance, or despair. At least with him anyway.

"Yo! Grass stain!"

And what if she liked him? Liked him liked him? Ugh, he was starting to sound like a kid. But if she did kiss him it had to mean something, right? Or maybe it was just a one time thing. Maybe the anguish of being apart and the fact that she was leaving was what made her kiss him. His eyes widened at the thought already feeling desperate. What if it'd been a goodbye kiss? No! He needed to find her. Bring her back and maybe… he almost smiled… maybe kiss her again.

"BEAST BOY!"

"What?!" Beast Boy blinked as he looked up to find his three current teammates staring down at him in concern. "Dude! You scared me!" He complained, playfully scratching his ear as if Robin had just left him deaf.

Robin crossed his arms, glaring down at his teammate. He knew he never took anything seriously, but this was far too ridiculous. "Raven is gone. And not only that, but she betrayed us in order to aid X. We need to prepare to either take her back or take her to prison." Those words took Garfield by surprise.

"She didn't betray us, dude! She just- she's just confused." He wasn't sure what he could say to make it better, but gratefully Cyborg agreed with him.

"He's right, Rob. Raven's experiencing emotions and memories that aren't hers. It's too soon to tell if she's acting out on her own or if she's acting out on X's feelings." Robin shook his head.

"I know what she told me. It was her." The team leader sighed, leaning over the table, his head hanging low. "And I asked you a question." he added, turning to the greenest titan. Beast Boy blinked in confusion as the other three peered at him curiously.

"Um… sorry dude. I was totally spacing out." They all sighed and Robin pursed his lips.

"I said, since you're the one who lasted longer, did something happen with Raven while we were out?" He could've blushed, and he was pretty sure he did. Beast Boy blinked, scratching the back of his neck.

"Uuuuuhhhh- well, I-" He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say. 'Oh yeah. Rae kissed me. Right out of nowhere and right before making me sleep. And it was awesome.' Nope. He was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to admit that. So, instead he just said, "We fought and she used her sleeping spell thing on me." He smiled awkwardly, making Robin raise an eyebrow.

"That is not much." sighed Starfire, leaning against the couch and crossing her arms.

Beast Boy let out an awkward laugh again, before leaning back onto the couch. Yeah, everything sucked. His tongue ventured out, lightly tasting his lips. Her taste lingered and he sighed again. Mint and herbal tea, it was faint but it was still there. Not only that, but he could still feel the tingling of his lips as he remembered the light caress. Whatever was happening with Raven, he sure was glad she'd kissed him. Now, if only she would drop the whole being a saint thing she had and returned back so he could figure out what the hell it'd meant, then that would be lovely.

"What are we going to do?" The alien asked, looking up at Robin worriedly. He returned the worried look and sighed, turning to see the map on the screen. Jump city.

"We need to be prepared in case Red X tries to steal the Xenothium again." said Robin, much to his team's distress.

"What about Rave?" asked Cyborg, already disliking this idea.

"If we find X, then we'll find Raven." answered the team leader, but Beast Boy stood, shaking his head.

"Uh-Uh. No. We need to be searching the city, dude! She could be anywhere! We need to find her NOW."

"The city is too big for us to just find her, Beast Boy. We can't waste time and energy looking for her randomly. Not when we know X is trying to hurt someone." Beast Boy growled, tightly holding onto the table, shaking in rage.

"X isn't a priority. Raven is!" Starfire nodded.

"Beast Boy is right." There was a sentence Garfield didn't hear that often. "We need to look for our friend."

"We have a duty as titans." Robin added, crossing his arms. He stood like that for a moment, before dropping it and sighing. "Look, I want to find Raven as much as you do. But we can't forget our mission. I know it's…difficult but if Raven is aiding X, then we need to stop them both… and fight them both. And next time, we can't let our feelings for Raven get in the way." They all looked down, knowing full well what he meant. Raven was strong, but not so strong that she could take down all four titans on her own. They all let their guards down because it was her, their friend, Raven.

"I never thought I would miss our friend Raven this much, considering she was always so quiet." muttered Starfire and Cyborg nodded, sending her a small sad smile.

"Yeah. Rave was always too quiet, but she was fun to hang out with. Plus, she was the most useful assistant I had when she helped me with the car." Beast Boy smiled sadly at his friends.

"Remember when she got scared of the horrific motion picture?" asked Starfire, smiling at the memories. Beast Boy chuckled. "Yeah, she wouldn't admit how scared she was." Cyborg moved to mess with his hair, pressing down at the much shorter titan, making him groan. "That was because you kept teasing her, you grass stain."

Robin smiled sadly, looking down at his teammates. He turned, staring out at the city on the horizon, his eyes narrowing. The lights were starting to be turned on as the sun set.

"Where are you, Raven?"

…

Jason stared at the girl before him, mask gone, though he was still wearing the same red mask he always wore. He was playing with a camera he'd just snatched from a tourist on the way back, sitting on the floor with his back against the exploded couch, his legs stretched out before him and a cigar in his mouth.

"Want to tell me what happened here?" he asked dully, raising an eyebrow. His wounds had been healed already, but it seemed Raven was always needing time to rest after every battle. And now they were back in the rundown apartment, which now was looking even more rundown than ever.

"No." And the empath closed her eyes, going back to her meditation. "Want to tell me where you got that camera?"

"No." he repeated her answer lightly, grinning again. He was amused, to say the least. The place was a mess, even more than when they found it. It didn't have any light anymore, and the sun was starting to set. They would be left in the dark soon, not that he minded it much. He'd been in the dark before. He sighed, looking out at the window. The Titan's tower was nowhere to be seen and he was glad. He was sure the sight of it would drive her crazy. Despite his expression remaining unchanging, he thought of what happened before. Raven had chosen to stay with him, turning her back at her friends. He knew she liked him, but not that much, so he was wondering what the deal was. If it'd been him, he would've left her to deal with the consequences. But maybe she worked differently, that stupid notion of friendship Richard always had slipping onto his titans like honey.

"I did what I wanted to do. Robin has nothing to do with it." Her voice interrupted his thoughts and he smirked at her, taking the cigar out of his mouth to throw a good amount of smoke out.

"So you chose me." He said proudly, still smirking darkly.

"I chose no one. I did what I had to do." Her eyes were still closed as she answered, trying to find some peace.

"Hmm…" he regarded her, until he stood to move closer to her, tossing the camera to the side. This time her eyes opened just to find his face near hers, but her expression remained stoic.

"Don't." she said emotionlessly, and he smirked as he talked.

"And why not? I'm dying of jealousy here. He got to kiss you and I didn't."

"You're not dying of anything. I can feel what you feel."

"Doesn't mean I'm not feeling it."

"You're envious. It's different than being jealous."

"What's the difference?"

"Jealousy has to do with your feelings rather than your emotions. He was jealous because he thinks I chose you. You're envious because you didn't get to kiss a girl."

"I didn't get to kiss YOU."

"I am nothing to you."

"Aw, don't feel so dejected, love."

"I'm not. I'm just stating what I know of you." She was staring at him stoically, her hood keeping her face in the dark, so he raised a hand to remove it. She tensed, but didn't move a muscle to stop him, so he grinned and pulled it back. And there she was. Raven, with her short hair and pale skin and very dark violet eyes.

"You're beautiful." He said with a smirk, trying to get a rise out of her, but she stared back with the same expression.

"I don't deny your attraction. What I deny are your feelings." He raised an eyebrow, and so she explained. "Liking is not the same as loving." And he smiled.

"So, you want me to love you?"

"You wouldn't love ME."

"Or anyone else." He added playfully.

"You're lying."

"Am I?"

"You're still Jason." He smirked, though she could sense his feelings stir at that one comment.

"You know me so well, love." She didn't answer to that. She didn't move either. All Raven did was stare at him. She didn't react either when he lowered his head to hers, his lips hovering just before hers. "But what do you know about HIM?" he was whispering and she could feel his breath on her lips. "Do you think he's freaking out right now, wondering how you could kiss him and then leave him? Even I think that was cold." She didn't answer nor moved away, so he took the chance and whispered, "Do you think he'll care if I took a kiss from you too?" And his lips caressed hers lightly, just so he could feel the slight tingling. But she didn't move, didn't press her lips back, nor he felt her emotions rise. She was dull inside, sad and still thinking about someone else. And so he moved back, smirking. "No explosions. I'm going to feel hurt."

"You don't care."

"I care about my ego. A girl doesn't like me. That's not something I want in my conscience. Perhaps I should try again, properly." She smirked then as he lowered his head again. He didn't know she had such expression.

"Perhaps you shouldn't be teasing the demon who just lost her life." Her eyes flashed black and he was pushed suddenly, until his back hit the wall behind him, and he fell to the floor with a thud. He groaned and then started laughing, rubbing his hurt neck.

"Wow. I like you more every day." She sent him a glare and then looked down at her lap again.

"I want you to promise me something." He snorted, moving to a sitting position once again.

"I don't do promises." But she ignored that.

"Promise me you won't steal that Xenothium." He let out an amused laugh and then dropped it when he saw her expression.

"What? You're serious?"

"You know I am." He leaned back, his hands holding his neck as he relaxed.

"No."

"But-"

"No. I need it to face Joker."

"I don't want you to hurt my friends anymore." He raised an eyebrow.

"I was the one getting his butt kicked, if you don't recall."

"Robin cares for you. It pains him to see you like this." He snorted, turning away.

"Grayson can suck it. I'm not going to stop just because mister sunshine has the same outdated morals as the bat."

"He's your brother."

"He's an idiot." Her eyes narrowed.

"I am not trying to stop you from whatever it is you want to do in Gotham city. All I'm asking is for you to leave my friends alone. I saved you from them, from prison. You're allowed to continue. But I am asking, as a friend, the only one you have, don't try to go back there." He turned to her, smiling. He truly looked handsome when he smiled.

"I'm not going to get out of this, am I?"

"No." And he sighed.

"Fine. I promise." And she smiled back.

…

It was getting late. He was going to have to make a call any moment now, to wake up his team and get them to the laboratory to start guarding it. Robin sighed, dropping his legs from his bed, sitting up. He'd given the team a few hours to sleep and recover their energy, but he was sure he wasn't the only one too worried to rest. He stood up, moving to put on his mask again. Before he did though, his own reflection caught his eye and he stared at himself in the dark. Bruce was good. He'd made sure the next Robin was similar to him, same complexion, even if Jason was a bit taller, and the same dark hair. He walked up to the mirror, placing a hand against the cold surface.

"Why are you doing this?" He wondered out loud and he could almost see the young Jason, smirking at him from behind the mask. 'I'm your replacement' he'd said. Robin sighed, his hands dropping to his sides. A replacement. As if all his years with Bruce, all his friendship, the man he'd considered a father, had just filled in the void with someone else. Worse of all, with Jason. Did he think they were also similar in other ways? He snorted, placing the mask back in place. No. He was nothing like Jason, not even like the younger Jason, with his crass attitude, and his smoking and his violence. No. He'd been the perfect apprentice and he knew it. Then why? Why did Bruce replace him? Did that mean he also replaced him as a son? He shook his head. If only Raven was there to offer advice. No one like her to listen and deal with emotions.

Richard walked out of his room, down the hallway and onto the common room. The team still had two hours before they had to leave, so he didn't want to disturb anybody just yet, especially because resting time had been hard to find lately. He walked up to the kitchen, taking out a bottle of water.

"Hey, dude." He glanced up and saw Beast Boy's head from the couch, sitting in the darkness.

"Beast Boy." Robin acknowledged him, walking up to him. "I didn't know anyone else was here." He saw him shrug.

"Couldn't sleep, man. Things are just…" He trailed off and his team leader nodded.

"I know."

Robin moved to sit on the other end of the couch, drinking up his water, looking at Garfield sideways. Maybe it was his powers, but it seemed his eyes glowed in the dark. They sat in silence for a while, mostly because neither knew what to say. Out of everyone in the team, Beast Boy and Robin were the two who least shared moments, and there was a reason for it too. In Robin's opinion, Garfield was reckless, wild and uncontrollable, too random to make a good hero, so every time they talked they ended up arguing over something. And Beast Boy's opinion of the titan's leader wasn't all that great either. He was far too serious, not Raven serious, but… bad and boring serious. Raven was fun to tease and anger, because it was just so easy and she got really cute when she frowned. But Robin didn't have pouty lips or bright violet eyes, or killer legs… and what was he thinking about again?

"We're going to leave in two hours," said Robin, breaking the silence and Beast Boy's train of thought.

"Uh… yeah, I- I know that." He wasn't sure what else to tell his leader, so he spoke of the only subject he'd been thinking about in the last couple of days. "Do you think she'll come back?" Robin sighed.

"I'm not sure. I warned her about Jason. He's…" Beast Boy turned to him, wondering what X could possibly do to convince her. "Persuasive. Charming."

"Charming?" Beast Boy repeated with a snort. "Raven doesn't DO charming. She's… well, she's smarter than that. Raven likes-" His eyes widened, what did Raven like in guys? He went through the guys she'd liked before. Malchior had been charming too, smart to boot, and very smooth. And that goth kid was just, well, goth. And he worked at the library or bookstore or something, so that had to mean he was smart, right? So… charming, smooth, smart… His ears went down as he figured something out: He was doomed. There was no way Raven liked him. Well, he knew he was charming! In a silly kind of way, instead of smooth. And he could be smart! Sometimes, maybe… when he wasn't puling pranks or joking or… Yup. He was doomed.

Robin was staring at Beast Boy with raised eyebrows, noticing the sudden drop of ears. He only did that when he was sad about something so he asked, "Are you okay?"

Beast Boy turned to his leader, smiling awkwardly, rubbing his neck. "Yeah! I'm fine. I just-" he blinked, figuring what he could say, "I was just thinking maybe Raven does like charming guys." Robin sighed, leaning back on the couch.

"I don't think this has anything to do with that." He said bitterly, staring out at the lights in the city. "You couldn't understand it, Beast Boy, but Raven is much deeper than you imagine." That made the green boy frown. What did Robin know what he knew and didn't know about Raven? But Batman's first apprentice kept talking. "Raven will want to help him, not because she likes him, but because she cares too much about others. Especially if she looked through his memories. Jason is-" He heard an odd sound and turned to find Beast Boy glaring at him and growling. "Beast Boy?"

"You're the one who doesn't know anything about her." Said the green boy, his voice low and bitter. "Raven is not… she's the smartest person I know. She'll never let herself be tricked by some low life." Robin's expression changed, glaring at the boy.

"I think you're the one who doesn't understand." That made the green boy snarl.

"I know her well!" he yelled out, standing up to snarl at the boy closely, but Robin's eyes were widening in surprise, rather than narrowing in anger. Why would Beast Boy be so angry about something so silly? "I know her favourite color is blue! And I know she likes to meditate in the roof because she thinks I won't find her there and bother her, but really I just leave her alone because I know if I go there she'll throw me down the tower. I know she has a sloppy side, especially when handling her books, but she doesn't want anyone to notice, so she hides her mess under her bed. I know she likes- what?" Robin was no longer shocked but rather smirking at the green boy.

"Maybe I was wrong, and you're far more observant than I thought." said his leader lightly, smiling knowingly. Beast Boy blinked down at Robin, feeling embarrassed at the compliment and then laughed awkwardly.

"Um… well, I do spend a lot of time with Raven." He tried covering but then he blushed as he realized what he'd said. "I mean, she's fun to mess with and all." Robin was still smirking.

"How do you know she hides stuff under her bed?" Garfield coughed, moving away to sit again.

"Well, you know… sometimes I- ah- I hide in her room, under the bed, when I hear her coming. You know she hates it when people go there." Robin raised an eyebrow.

"And what are you doing in her room in the first place?" Beast Boy shrugged, looking down, still blushing.

"I don't know. I just… I like it there. I don't really do anything just… hang or… nap. It smells nice, you know?" And then, as an after thought, he added. "Don't tell her. She'll kill me." Robin chuckled, leaning back against the couch.

"I won't."

…

Red X grinned behind his mask, looking down at the small piece of paper in his hands. This was going to be great. He turned down at the many tanks filled with dark red liquid, looking for the titans, placing the paper in his pocket. He had to make sure Raven would sleep far longer this time. For a moment there, he'd felt guilty for carrying on with this plan, using a sleeping gas on her again, especially after that promise, but he knew she'd forgive him. At least, he wished she had pleasant dreams for the time being.

"Keep your instincts sharp. Red X could be anywhere."

Jason turned, almost rolling his eyes. Robin was ridiculously predictable, with his stupid morality. If it'd been him, he would've been looking around for Raven, but not the titan's leader. No, he was too responsible, too well trained. That had always been the big difference between the two. Jason didn't like rules, never had. And that was why he was going to win.

"Hey, kid!" he screamed out, making the team of four turn to look up at him. Even the green one started to growl as soon as he saw him, and X laughed loudly. "Catch!" And he threw a red plastic x to one of the tanks.

"Jason! Wait!" Managed to scream out Robin, until the x hit the tank and the red gas started to leak out, covering them all.

X stood, watching his work proudly. Now that THAT was taken care of… he jumped from the side of the building, twisting in the air to throw another X. It hit a security camera and the alarm went off.

The titans coughed as the rest of the gas dissipated. Robin took a step forward, looking around widely. The alarm was off, which meant X was still nearby. At least, he thought so.

"Titans! Spread. We need to find X, now!"

And so they did, looking around widely, separating into different areas.

…

Raven wandered aimlessly inside her head. For a moment there, she felt at peace despite the events of the day, if not a bit bored and dull, almost empty. She saw Happy was sleeping below her, snoring with a wide grin on her face, and the real Raven looked down at her in confusion. No wonder she'd been feeling so empty. The emotion was slacking off. But why? The empath kept flying peacefully… Almost too peacefully.

"Where is everybody?" She wondered out loud, looking down. So Happy was sleeping… and so was Timid. "What?" She never knew her emotions could sleep. She landed near the grey version of herself, as the girl curled, looking smaller than she already was.

"Timid." Called Raven, but the emotion didn't move. "Timid!" She tried again, louder, this time shaking her shoulder. The emotion's eyes fluttered as she regarded the real Raven sleepily. "Raven?... I'm sorry… I didn't mean to… I- I can't-" And she closed her eyes again, going back to sleep. Raven blinked in surprise. This had never happened before. She looked up, noticing the slight green fog. Had that always been there?

"_Almost there."_

"Jason?" wondered Raven as the voice sounded above her. "JASON?! Where are you?!" There was no answer. At least, not for her.

"_Stupid Grayson." _

Her eyes widened as she realized what had happened. The fog, the sleeping emotions. He'd betrayed her trust. He'd broken his promise, and all she could do was stare up at the green fog dully, since all of her emotions were turned off. Instead, she felt his. The adrenaline was back and the joy of stealing. Why? Why did he break his promise?

Raven fell to the floor, her face still stoic, longing to feel anger, or maybe sorrow, but nothing came. Just a dull emptiness inside her chest. He'd made her sleep in the most horrific way she could think of. He made her emotions sleep as well as her. But why? What was he planning to do? And why couldn't she reach him? Did he turn that off as well?

"Jason…" she whispered and then, there was an answer.

"_You called, love?" _The voice thundered all around her, but his tone was light. He was good at hiding his emotions, almost as good as Robin.

"What did you to do me?"

"_What?"_

"What did you do to me?"

"…_I don't know what-"_

"Jason… I can't feel."

"…_What?"_

"My emotions, they are all sleeping. I can't feel. I feel… dead."

"…_Shit. Look. I'll be right there. Just, just hang in there. I'm…"_

For a moment there she thought he would apologize for whatever he did to her, but then the voice spoke again.

"_I'll be right there." _

And she knew why: Jason never regretted anything.

…

"Love?" Red X jumped inside the window. He didn't see the empath and almost tripped with her cloak as he landed. He made a twist in the air to make sure he didn't fall on her and winced as he hurt his knee. But that didn't matter.

"Raven?" He moved closer, peering down at the girl. It was so weird seeing her so peaceful. It almost looked like she was dead… Oh no. "Raven? Come on, love. Don't be- Ah." Just as panic started to grow, he pulled her up against him and noticed the very small, barely there intake of air. She was still breathing.

"_This is your doing."_

…_Yes._

He gathered her up in his arms, pulling her closer, as if keeping her warm would somehow give her back what he made her lose.

_I didn't calculate the doses properly._

"_You promised."_

_I did. I didn't break my promise._

He held her closer, moving her to be more comfortable. He stretched his legs out, wincing as his knee cracked.

"_You got hurt."_

_It's nothing._

"_Are you going to tell me what happened?"_

_You don't sound so angry._

"_I can't feel angry. You took that away."_

…_Yeah._

"_So?"_

_Well, I didn't break the promise I made you._

"_You went back to the lab."_

_Yes, but I didn't steal Xenothium._

"_You stole something else."_

_How do you do that?_

"_Do what?"_

_Know me so well. We've been talking for just a few days. You shouldn't-_

"_It's what I do."_

He smiled to himself, imagining she would be smirking at him if she were awake.

"_For the record, I didn't mean this to happen."_

_I know._

"_You do?"_

_You like me._

"_I never denied it."_

"_No, but I did."_

He took his mask off, closing his eyes for a moment and looking down at her with a smile. So she knew he liked her. That wasn't so bad, and it was understandable too. Plus, it was hard not to fall for her, with her pretty porcelain doll face and her witty humour. Who wouldn't?

_You look lovely. You know? Like this I could probably kiss you and you couldn't use your powers on me._

"_You wouldn't."_

_What? Steal a kiss? I'm a thief, love. I'm sort of obligated to do so._

"_Don't."_

_And why not?_

And, without any restrains of embarrassment or shyness since Timid was asleep, she answered.

"_Because you'll take away his taste."_

And then there was nothing but silence from him.

…

"Why would he do that if he was just going to leave?" wondered Robin as he walked inside the tower with his team following behind.

"Perhaps he was hidden." tried to help Starfire, but Beast Boy shook his head.

"No. I tried to catch his scent, but it was too faint for him to still be there."

"Well, whatever it was, I'm glad it's over. Man, I'm beat." Cyborg stretched out as he said that. Three hours of sleep a day wasn't enough for anybody. "I'm going to bed. Night ya'll."

"Yes. Go rest, team. We'll have to- wait." Robin's eyes narrowed as he stared up at a random glass on the counter. A cup. "That wasn't there when we left." The rest of the team blinked in confusion, since no one else noticed what was the big deal. Robin was quiet, staring at it, before he hurried down the hall.

"Dude! What the hell?!" exclaimed Beast boy at his rush, turning into a cat and following suit. Cyborg and Starfire followed too, hurrying behind Robin, trying to figure out what was going on. And when they reached the vault, they stopped, Starfire gasping as she noticed what was left behind.

Robin's eyes narrowed. The vault was open and it was obvious what was missing. He walked in slowly, his eyes fixed on one particular place. The vault where Red X's suit should've been was open and the belt was gone.

"He was here?!" Beast Boy was shaking, but he wasn't as angry as when he saw what he'd placed instead. There, instead of the belt, was a picture of himself and Raven, with the latter passed out. He was holding her close, and they could almost see the smug grin behind his mask. He was taunting them, teasing them over the loss of their friend.

"Man has a dark sense of humour." muttered Cyborg, rolling his eyes. Beast Boy growled at the sight of the two. In his opinion, he was holding Raven far too close in that picture and without her consent too. That was just too much.

Garfield turned, walking away angrily. Robin noticed him and yelled out at him, knowing full well what was happening. He wasn't the world's greatest detective first apprentice for nothing. The talk, the admittance, the previous anger and now this. It was obvious what was going on with Beast Boy.

"Where are you going?" The green boy stopped but he didn't turn.

"I'm going to look for her. We wasted enough time."

"He won't hurt her."

"No…" He looked at Robin over his shoulder and Robin's eyebrows raised as he noticed the rabid look in his teammates eyes. "But I'll hurt him."

"Beast Boy!" Robin called angrily at the direct disobedience of his orders. "Even if you find her, she won't come with you."

"I'll make her." Robin glared at him, disliking the answer.

"You can't. Raven is doing what she feels is the right thing. We can't interfere with her wishes." Beast Boy growled, turning to him.

"No. YOU can't interfere with her wishes. I've gone too long without doing anything. I need to find her. I'll- I'll take her back"

"She's not-" But Robin's words died in his throat as Beast Boy was already transforming into a dog and running out. Cyborg made a gesture to run after him, but Robin raised an arm. "No. Let him. Even if he finds her, he'll never be able to make her come back." Cyborg raised an eyebrow.

"And why is that?" asked the half bot. Robin's eyes narrowed.

"Raven's not the kind of girl you push around. He'll only end up making things worse." Starfire looked concerned.

"But then, should we not stop Beast Boy?" Robin shook his head again.

"No. This is exactly what he needs."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11. And so it starts.**

"What were you thinking?!" Raven raised her arm again and again he was stamped against the wall. Jason groaned in pain and then smirked again.

"I think I preferred you last night." She didn't look amused, so the black energy around him tightened. He groaned but the sound turned into a chuckle. "You're such a naughty girl, love. I didn't know you had this temper." Her eyes narrowed again and once again he was smashed against the wall.

"I wasn't myself last night." she said coldly, "You betrayed my confidence."

"Now, isn't that a bit too- AGH! Okay! Okay! I shouldn't have done that! But look on the bright side! I have my belt back and I can leave your teammates alone. GAH!"

Raven sighed, dropping her hand and the black energy around him disappeared, making him drop back to the ground. He landed on his feet, but quickly fell on his butt when his knee failed him, before laughing again.

"You're so sexy when you get mad." He joked. Her eyes narrowed.

"How can you joke about something like this?" He shrugged.

"Ask your green boyfriend. He's the kind to get the joke, right?" She turned away, disliking the way he compared himself to Beast Boy. No. The two were far too different. Beast Boy would never be so- so…

"So what?" he grinned as he read her mind. She regarded him coldly.

"Cruel." He sighed, stretching out his legs and wincing slightly at his knee.

"Look, if it makes you feel better, I'm…" She raised an eyebrow as he struggled.

"Say it."

"Fine! I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean- I didn't want to hurt you. You know I didn't." She fell quiet because she knew it was true. "It very stupid of me."

"It was."

She sighed as she felt his guilt, despite his smug grin. He was really good at hiding his emotions… unless they were of anger. She walked up to him and knelt before him, staring at his face, now that it was free of its usual mask. He looked just like a boy, around her age, maybe younger. Still handsome, like Robin, but the coldness in his eyes showed how different the two were. He grinned, and she knew he was about to joke about what she was thinking, so she placed a hand on his face, her fingers very lightly touching the scars on his left eye. His eyes widened at the gesture, not used to have anyone touch him. And he closed his eyes, letting out a sigh.

"You should let it go." She whispered and he smiled, eyes still closed.

"I can't."

"Why?" He sighed again, leaning slightly to her touch, and he knew she was using some sort of spell on him, but didn't care much.

"You saw what I went through." That didn't convince her.

"That's not a reason to act like you do. This attitude… this aggression will only hurt you, Jason." He opened his eyes, smiling lazily at her. Light green.

"Is this the moment when you try to change the pretty bad boy with your love?" he was joking but her expression was still serious.

"I just don't understand you. I know negative emotions, such as your anger and your thirst for revenge, can be controlled."

"And you want to help me."

"Yes." He sighed, closing his eyes again, still smiling gently, completely relaxed. Her fingers were still on his face, tickling his skin.

"You're wasting your time, love. I no longer have a purpose in life but this one." Raven sighed, her hand dropping and he smirked again, instead of smiling. She stood turning away in an attempt to hide her emotions, but he could feel it clearly. She was disappointed. He laughed bitterly, leaning on one hand to stare up at her cloaked back. He was used to disappoint people.

"I loved him, you know?" he said and she looked at him over her shoulder, her face clouded by her hood. "Bruce. I loved him. I thought he was the true deal, the big hero. The one who could do no wrong." He sighed, smiling down at the floor. "He was Bruce, but deep inside, I knew 'Batman is my new dad!'. So I thought I could do anything, I could take down anyone, because, no matter what I did, no matter how much I would screw up, my dad was Batman and he was going to take me out of whatever jam I got myself into."

Raven moved closer, turning fully and staring down at him, but he didn't dare look up at her pity or anything similar. He felt nothing from her at the moment, too absorbed in his own emotions. And he didn't want to appear weak either.

"So when it happened, when I was there, with Joker hitting me with that crowbar, I thought 'It's okay. He'll come for me. He's going to show up, any second now, any moment now, he'll appear there and kick this clown's ass and scold me for running away against his orders.'" And then he felt silent, so she finished the story for him.

"He never came." Jason laughed again, looking up at her with the same hateful smirk. But her expression was still stoic, "You can't blame him for that, Jason. Batman… Bruce is human. He's not perfect, he can't be everywhere." He shrugged.

"I know that. That's not the problem, is it? Kids die all the time, especially in Gotham, particularly at the hands of the Joker. I had back luck. I didn't follow orders and got myself killed. I got that now. Back then, I was a kid, Batman is no 'true deal'. He's just a guy." He looked up at her this time, and despite his smirk, his eyes were full of hatred. "But surprise, surprise. Not only is he just a guy, he's a coward too. Imagine my surprise when I managed to go back to Gotham and see that the Joker was still living. Not only that, but he'd replaced me, just like he replaced Grayson."

"Bruce loves you, Jason."

"Doesn't seem that way to me. I thought he could, if I worked hard enough, if I showed him that I'm better than his prodigy child, but what's the point? No one will take precious Richard's place. Not me, not this new kid."

"Just like no one will take yours." He snorted, looking away.

Raven knelt before him, but he didn't turn until he felt her hand on his knee. He turned to her with wide, amused eyes, wondering if she was going to hug him, or kiss him, or anything, but then he felt his knee crack and cure itself. She smiled that same mischievous smirk she'd smiled last night and he lost his breath for a moment.

"Sorry to disappoint." She teased and he smiled back.

"One of these days, I'm going to steal your heart." She snorted, rolling her eyes and his smile widened. "Then just a kiss?" She smirked again.

"You wish."

…

Robin walked out of the vault, feeling more tense than usual. He'd been trying to fix all the security breaches X had found, wondering how the hell his little brother had managed to fool them, break in and take his belt back without anyone noticing. Hell, he even had a drink! And then that picture. He shook his head at the thought and couldn't help the smirk that broke his tense face. Jason was such a cocky bastard, rubbing in that Raven was with him. But then the memory that he was down to three members now came back and he lost his smile, with Raven doing whatever she was trying to do and Beast Boy trying to stop her. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. And Beast Boy had been the main problem. Sure, they would be stopping Jason every time he tried something, but he had hope that Raven had been using a different strategy. She had always been an advocate of peace, considering her origins, so he could imagine what she was trying to do. But Beast Boy didn't understand that. Couldn't.

And it'd been some time since Robin had noticed small clues about the green boy, figuring he had to have some special feelings for the team's empath, even if the changeling didn't notice them himself. But he'd imagined that their relationship was merely of friendship, since he never noticed any signs of attraction. Sure, sometimes Gar would flirt with the girl and she would say something to bring him down, but they were just teasing each other, right? And then there was Terra. Beast Boy had been more obvious back then. Robin had noticed the way the green boy stared at the new titan, how he tried his best to joke with her, how he'd ignored Raven from then on, not that he noticed any changes in Raven when that had happened. And that was the problem. Maybe the empath didn't like the green boy, and such relationships were just going to mess up the team. He noticed a girl floating down the hallway and he smiled to himself. Well, who was he to judge?

"Starfire…" He called, but then his tone changed, "Kori." The girl turned, her expression serious and he raised an eyebrow. She would usually jump at him every time he called her by her name. "Something wrong?" Starfire pouted, crossing her arms and looking away.

"Apart from the fact that you have been behaving like a royal Grebnack?" she answered crossly, and Robin let out a sigh. He had the most difficult girlfriend in the world, didn't he? Probably because she wasn't FROM this world.

"You're still upset?" Her eyes flashed dangerously but he still walked up to her.

"I am in no need to discuss this with you." He raised an eyebrow, and then smiled and walked past her, raising a hand.

"All right. Bye."

"Dick!" He stopped, though he didn't know if he was calling his name or if she was trying to insult him. He turned, smiling.

"Yes?" She frowned again, but lowered herself to the floor. She was still tense, with her cute pout and her crossed arms, her left foot tapping the floor nervously. Robin moved to her, still smiling and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you going to tell me why you are so upset?"

"I do not agree with your plan." She said plainly, turning her angry green eyes at him. "I believe Beast Boy is right. We should be out and do the searching for our friend Raven, instead of being concerned about a man who has done nothing but hurt others." Robin's hand dropped from her shoulder.

"Look, Kori-"

"And I believe you have been keeping secrets from me." Robin's eyes widened, and Starfire's eyes turned sad. Her arms untangled as she dropped them to her sides. "I do not wish to interfere if that causes you pain. But if you were to need someone to listen to your burdens, I will always lean you the ear." Robin sighed, moving a hand through his hair nervously.

"It's not- It's not something easy to talk about to your girlfriend." Starfire's eyes narrowed.

"And why is that? Why is it something that you can discuss with Raven but not with me?"

"Because, well, it's about an… ex." She frowned in confusion.

"About your brother?"

"No! No. It's not- It's not about 'X'. I meant an… ex-girlfriend." She still looked confused.

"I did not know you had an ex-girlfriend." She blinked again, "And what does 'ex' mean?" Her eyes glowed dangerously, "It is not another lover like I am?"

"No! No. Not at all. She was- ah. Well, not exactly ex-girlfriend. More like a friend."

"A friend you still have the love for."

"It's complicated." Starfire leaned to grab his hand and he sighed, looking up at her.

"Tell me." And he nodded.

"I was going to grab a bottle of water. Come with me?" She nodded, smiling instead of frowning, and he squeezed her hand, smiling as well. Yes. This would be what Raven would tell him to do: Be honest with Starfire. Hadn't she said something similar before?

…

A tired green hound looked up at the sky, his tongue out. He'd been searching for a scent since he felt was forever, but it'd just been a day, truly. Or more? He'd started last night, or had it been morning? The dog whined tiredly. Where the hell was Raven? He inwardly cursed her ability to transport herself, since he'd caught her scent in many places, but lost track where she'd disappeared. And sometimes he would just end up at a random place that made her smell like her, like when he ended up in that small cafeteria where they sold the tea she liked, or when he ended up at the city library, surrounded by old books… and now, when he ended up downtown next to a incense store. And Raven would never be here, mostly because the place sucked. It looked like the vandals around were waiting for someone to mug.

The dog transformed back into its real form, and Beast Boy sat on the street, holding his chin up with two hands. Some gang near him spotted him, pointed and screamed out, "A Titan! Run!" the crooks scattered, but Beast Boy was too lost in thought to care… and he was hungry. Very hungry.

And perhaps Robin had been right. Maybe he'll never find Raven this way. Maybe he was wasting time, searching endlessly for her. And he was so tired, and so hungry and so sleepy. He yawned widely, throwing his head back and blinking dumbly at the sky above him. It was so grey. Maybe the weather was matching his mood.

Well, one thing was clear: Raven was a stupid girl with a stupid crush. Beast Boy frowned at the memory of X and her hugging. Why would she do that? X certainly didn't deserve her, with his bad boy attitude and his… cape and stupid mask. He wondered if he should get a cape. Though he was sure it would get in the way. Maybe the mask? Well, he had a mask before, but Raven had been the one to tell him to drop it. Well, it wasn't like she didn't like him already, right? She kissed him and all! He blushed at the memory, sighing dreamily. She'd kissed him. His tongue darted out to lick his lips. There was no trace of her taste anymore, just the memory, but that was enough for him. Sometimes it was good to have heightened senses. He closed his eyes, still smiling. And this store really made the place smell like Raven, something between tea and herbs, and maybe perfume or soap. Did Raven even used perfume? He didn't know. But her room always smelled nice. Was that the incense? Or was it her? Maybe he should borrow some and then he wouldn't have to sneak inside her room to have naps.

He sighed, opening his eyes again. He missed her terribly, missed her monotone, and her eyes flashing angrily when he said something she didn't approve of, or her sarcastic humour, or her smile when he said something right. Her smile… Yes, that's what he missed the most. And her conversation. He remembered all the time they'd spent on top of that building, just talking. And why were they there anyway? Oh! Terra! Right… He coughed awkwardly, feeling guilty over forgetting the girl. Hadn't this happened the first time he lost Terra too? He never visited her statue, never talked to her, apart from the first couple of times.

Again he leaned back, his eyes lost on the sky. If he was honest with himself, he didn't see much point in going to watch Tara anymore. It could be the entire drama of losing Raven to that thief, but he just didn't have the energy for it anymore. Plus it was boring, and being there only reminded him that he didn't have Raven next to him, listening to his stupid jokes. Funny, how it took losing her to appreciate her presence. He sighed again, smiling sadly. And now that she'd kissed him, she'd started something within him. He still wasn't sure what the hell it was, or why it was there, but he knew he liked her. Well, it was more like a crush. A big one. Which was weird and completely stupid, and almost suicidal, but there it was. He almost laughed at his own misery. He really knew how to pick them, eh? First a traitor and now a demon. Well, he wasn't a normal guy, so he figured he would never fall for a normal girl either.

And just when he was thinking of this, it happened. His eyes widened as he saw right in between two rundown buildings, a form with a cape, jumping from outside a window and onto the other building. And then the thief jumped up and he was on the roof, losing himself from sight.

"That-that was X." said Beast Boy to himself in shock. He'd found him! And if he was there, then maybe Raven… His eyes turned to the window where X had jumped from. With a wide smirk, he turned into a bird and flew toward it. So maybe the scent he'd caught hadn't only been the incense. Maybe it'd been Raven, and now she was going to go back with him, whether she liked it or not.

…

"Where are you going?" wondered Raven from her lotus position, as she heard Jason move around. She was once again meditating, much to his nerves. How could she just sit there and not move while her mind wandered until it was blank? How dull. "Dull for you." He snorted as she read his mind.

"You're the one who's dull, love. I'm going to buy something to eat. You might be able to leave on herbs and water but I need something else."

"You're not going to steal, are you?" He smirked as he put on his mask.

"Why do you ask questions you know the answer to?" She snorted, but her eyes were still closed as she tried to mute herself from the world and his emotions.

"Fine. Have fun."

"I will. And I'll bring you something good. Tea, right?"

She smiled as an answer, and then heard him open the window. She let out a deep breath, concentrating on disconnecting from the world, from the emotions all around her, from every presence.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos." She whispered, trying to relax further, but then she heard steps in the room again, and she smiled, despite keeping her eyes closed. "You forgot something?"

"I never pictured you to be the kind of girl who'll move in with a dude right after she met him." Her eyes opened, widening as she saw Beast Boy standing there, watching her with sad eyes. "Then again, lately I feel like I don't know you anymore." Her eyes narrowed and she stood, her cloak covering her body and her hood in place.

"How did you find us?" she asked, and he gritted his teeth at the fact that she used the word 'us' instead of 'me'. So there was an 'us'? Or rather, was there a 'them'?

"I looked for you, Rae. It's what I do. I sniff about and-"

"And you got lucky." His expression changed and he looked at her sheepishly. She rolled her eyes. Of course, he was always getting lucky at everything. But he dropped the stance and took a step toward her. His hands rose before him, as if he was unsure of what to do, and then let them drop to his sides.

"Um…"

"Leave." She interrupted before he even started with a cold voice. "I don't want to return. I thought you would respect my wishes." He frowned.

"Well, your wishes are wrong! What-" He sighed, "What are you even doing here, Raven? You- you attacked us! We're your friends."

"You left me no choice."

"There's always a choice. Raven, I know you." He sighed, taking a step toward her and she took a step back, as if scared of him. "I know you don't like to involve us in anything you do. But you're not alone, Rae. You're part of the team. And… we miss you." And then, in a lower voice, he added, "I miss you." Again she was hit with the same warm waves of emotion from him and she looked down. Why did he have to make this more difficult?

"I- I can't go back. Not yet. I have to make sure…" He took another step closer, and this time she didn't move.

"Make sure of what?" Raven sighed.

"Make sure Jason doesn't ruin his life." His eyes widened in surprise. So that was it? She was choosing him?

"Are you two…" his voice died and Raven looked at him sadly. Jealousy hit her once again. Why was he doing this?

"I have nothing to explain." He stared up at her sadly.

"You have lots to explain, Raven." His voice was choking but he didn't notice, always led by his emotions. Raven longed to be able to do that. But a couple of days ago she had, just for a second, she'd allowed herself to lose some control, kissing him and letting his emotions run through her. And it'd been dangerous and wrong, but so soothing. But it couldn't happen again, not now.

"Please, just leave." He shook his head.

"No, you- Rae, you just… For Pete's sake. You kissed me." And saying it out loud sounded even more ridiculous in his ears, but he had to say it. He blushed and scratched the back of his head nervously. "I- I thought… I thought for a second there maybe you… Um… I mean, it's not like I don't… you know. I just…" Was he rejecting her? Of course he was. She knew this was going to happen. Despite those waves of emotion, despite the jealousy, there was still the memory of his first love, and that just didn't go away.

"I don't want to discuss it." He growled again.

"But we have to, Raven! I- was it…" He sighed again. "Was it a good bye kiss? Because if it was… I don't want to accept it. I- I want… We all want you back, Rae."

"It… it wasn't." She admitted, looking down. She should've stopped herself when it happened. She should've never let her emotions drive her.

"Then why?"

"I-" She wasn't sure what she could tell him. "It was… what I wanted to do." He groaned.

"What does that even mean?! Raven, come on… You…" He took another step closer, and then another, until he was standing right in front of her. "You have to come back, Rae." He raised a hand and struggled with himself. He gulped, finding some courage and placing the hand on her cheek. And, as if it burned, she took a step back. His eyes widened, looking heart broken and she looked down in regret. She couldn't feel his touch, not now, not with all those emotions flowing through him. It would confuse her, mess up her judgment, and compromise her goal. But he didn't know that, he couldn't begin to understand it, so he dropped his hand to his side, fists shaking. "This is all his fault, isn't it? You're crazy about him. You want- You prefer to be with him." She closed her eyes, but didn't answer, and that only made him angry. "You can't choose him, Raven! What about all those years together? You're going to throw all of that away because of… some dude!" Raven glared at him.

"Is this really how little faith you have in me? You think I'm here because I have a crush?"

"Well, aren't you?" He scratched the back of his head as she turned. Oh well, it wasn't like he didn't make her angry on regular basis.

"I kissed YOU. How stupid can someone be?" His eyes widened.

"What?" She sighed, turning again.

"Just leave me alone."

"Nu-uh. No, Rae. You're coming with me." She glared at him, her eyes narrowing dangerously under her hood.

"You can't possibly be serious." He looked slightly scared but he stood in place.

"You are, even if I have to drag you back." With that he took a step closer to her, and she prepared, her hands glowing black. But he didn't transform into an animal, he walked up to her and suddenly threw his arms around her. She was so taken aback by the gesture that she lost her concentration and her black energy was gone.

"Garfield?" she tried, tense and still, unable to relax but also unable to pull away.

And he was blushing furiously, but his arms were still around her. He tried to stop his nervous shaking, and he buried his face against her neck. At least now he could say without a doubt that the nice scent of her room wasn't just the incense.

"I like it when you call me that." He muttered without thinking, completely lost in her. And she sighed; pained that he would still want to be near her despite everything. She'd counted on Robin having a hard time trying to be understanding, but never imagined Beast Boy would be the one who would look for her.

"I- Gar… I can't go back." His hug tightened.

"Yes, you can. Everyone wants you back, Rae. No one… no one is mad or anything. We just…" He sighed again, "I'm just glad you're okay." And she closed her eyes, trying to hold back her emotions. The waves of warmth came rushing and covering her like warm honey. "And that… I can't- can't stop thinking about you, Rae. I'm…" He stopped talking but she understood. He was confused as she was. But even so, she felt the same thoughts that she's feared would come when she saw him again… The ones that told her maybe she could go back. Maybe what she'd done had been enough to keep Jason out of trouble, to give Robin back his chance to have some sort of family, to have the brother he'd alwaysx wished he had, and the opening to a relationship with his adoptive father…

"Hey, love. I thought maybe- Oh." Raven opened her eyes, staring at the window where Jason was currently trying to climb into. He was silent for a moment, his hand clutching a plastic cup where she knew her tea was. "Sorry, am I interrupting a tender moment?"

Beast Boy growled, holding Raven closer. "Dude, you don't have any timing." X shrugged, finally climbing in.

"Au contraire, I think I have perfect timing." Jason placed the cup on a nearby counter and crossed his arms, looking amused. But Raven knew better. He wasn't all that happy to find an enemy in his home. Or, his current stolen place. Semantics. "I didn't know you had escapades with your little green boyfriend, love. Am I going to have to get jealous?" Beast Boy snarled, pulling Raven until she was behind him. She could almost roll her eyes at the possessive action if the situation wasn't as tense as it was.

_The pet's got quite the temper, doesn't he?_

"_That's not funny."_

"Stay where you are, X. Raven's coming with me." Raven took a step forward.

"No, I'm not." She slowly walked in front of Beast Boy as he stared at her with wide eyes.

"Of course you are! You- you have to."

"I think it'll be best if you left."

"But I-"

"You heard the lady." Added Red X and Beast Boy snarled.

"Jason…" Raven's tone suggested a warning, turning to the boy behind the skull mask. The problem was that she missed the opportunity to stop Beast Boy as he transformed into a cat, jumped over her shoulder and then landed in front of her, now in the shape of a bear.

"Beast Boy! Stop!" But the green bear was already growling wildly, and waved its claws at X. The thief jumped away, barely missing.

"Anybody ever told you you have anger issues?" Said X as he managed to land on his feet, and Beast Boy hit a counter instead, dropping tea everywhere. And next it wasn't a bear, but a wolf jumping at Jason and trying to bite him.

"Jason, don't!" Tried Raven, feeling his anger pulsating through her, but she was ignored.

"Down, pet!" Jason yelled out using one of his red X's bombs. The place was full of smoke, and Beast Boy transformed back into his human form, coughing.

"Where did he go?!" he asked, trying to look around, but he heard something behind him and he moved away, just in time to avoid X's kick. And so both continued to fight, ignoring the empath in the room as she screamed at them.

"Stop! Both of you! This isn't the place to- Agh." She ducked as a chair was thrown her way and it smashed to pieces as it hit the wall. The smoke was slowly dissipating and the three were able to see each other. Raven's eyes widened at what she saw.

Jason was on the floor, grunting in pain, his hands pulling the green wolf's teeth open in opposite directions with all his might, as Beast Boy tried to bite his mask off. The two were struggling. If either made a mistake, they could seriously get hurt.

"ENOUGH!" She screamed out, tired of being ignored. Both boys were surrounded by black energy, each pressed against opposite walls. Both yelped in pain as they were slammed. Raven's breathing was ragged from the energy it took, but she managed to look intimidating as she glared at them both.

"You need to watch your tongue!" She screamed out at Jason, who shrugged in response, too tired to say anything. "And you," Her eyes narrowed at the now human Beast Boy. "I am not someone you can push around. I will do what I please with who I want. Are we clear?" Beast Boy grunted.

"You- you're making a mistake Raven." He managed as his mouth hurt. Stupid X had left him sore.

"You're the one making the mistakes, Garfield." Jason snorted and earned himself a glare from the empath.

"_Don't start."_

_It's funny!_

She lowered her hands and both dropped to the floor. She walked up to Beast Boy, glaring at him over her nose as he sat on the floor, staring grumpily at her, his mouth in a deep pout. She huffed, thinking of how much of a child he was. But he'd always been like that, right? Possessive, jokester, without a care in the world.

_I don't understand why you like him._

Raven didn't answer the voice in her head as she knelt in front of Beast Boy. She could feel his regret and his anger, it felt like the emotions of a kid doing a tantrum, and she almost smiled.

_Don't tell me you think it's cute?_

"_Shut up."_

She tentatively placed a hand against his cheek and he looked up at her from under his eyelashes in wonder. He looked adorable, with his boyish face and his fangs sticking out from his lips. And she felt the waves of love once again, so she felt forced to say something.

_Don't mind me. I'm just going to sit here, all heartbroken._

"_I said shut up."_

"Garfield, I-" And his Titan communicator beeped. There was silence in the room as it beeped and he looked down at his belt where it was. Raven sighed, dropping her hand from his cheek, standing up and looking down at him again. "You should answer that." The green boy looked up at her, staring in daze before nodding and looking taking out his communicator.

_And you complain about my timing._

"Beast Boy here…" His voice sounded deeper than before and she wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that she'd been touching him.

"BB. This is Cy. Where are you, man? You need to come back. ASAP!" Beast Boy sent Raven a look, as if wondering if he should tell Cyborg he'd found her, but decided against it.

"Why? What's up?"

"Man. It's Robin… he- he drank Joker venom."

After that there was an explosion of emotions and Raven turned sharply to see Jason. He was standing there, as if nothing, not moving, his mask hiding his expression, but she could feel perfectly his emotions.

"Ja-" She tried calling him, but his emotions were too much and her eyes went black with energy. "No…" Her voice sounded like an echo and everything went black.

"RAE!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12. Call them brothers.**

Raven groaned as her massive headache pounded inside her head, as if something was pushing against the inside of her skull. Her eyes were closed and she turned her head to the side, before sighing. She was at least warm and very comfortable, the caresses on her right hand soothing the pain somewhat, relaxing her and for a moment there, all she wanted to do was sleep, surrounded by this presence and scare the headache away. But then the memory of what had happened hit her. Robin had been poisoned. Her eyes fluttered open and she winced as the same throbbing pain stroke her harder as the light hit her eyes.

"Rae?"

Her eyes went to the figure next to her. She couldn't see properly yet, still confused and flashes of light messing with her perception, but she didn't need to see him to know who was speaking to her.

"Garfield…" she gasped his name, and then immediately asked, "Where's Jason?" She felt the fingers that'd been caressing her hand stop and move away, and she almost wished she hadn't said anything at all.

"He's gone. Threw a smoke bomb right after you passed out and disappeared. I thought, well, it was more important to keep you safe." She opened her eyes fully to stare at Garfield. Even with the dim light and her weary eyes he seemed tired, as if he hadn't been sleeping in days. And maybe he hadn't. How long had it been since she left the tower? A week? More than that? She couldn't remember a time she hadn't been on that rundown tiny room, with just a kitchen, a table and a living area all in the same place, sleeping on the couch as Jason watched her from the floor. At least he'd been a gentleman, already used to not have a bed. But Raven had never lived like that before. She'd always felt some sort of self-pity over her own childhood, living in a temple with no one to speak to her but Azar. Her own mother had never wanted her, the people around her hadn't cared for her and yet, she'd had meals, a bed, a roof. But Jason had lived for years on the street even before meeting Bruce. He'd slept on floors, sometimes on alleys, right under the rain, inside cardboard boxes… Just the memory of it made her shudder. Maybe that was why now she felt so relaxed now, with the comfortable cool sheets covering her body, and the soft pillow under her head. Or maybe it was the man sitting next to her, keeping her safe while she slept.

"Where am I?" she wondered, still trying to blink and grow accustomed to the light. She heard him sigh and move about and then she felt the mattress move. He was sitting next to her now.

"Don't get mad." He said hurriedly and she almost smiled. Leave it to him to still be frightened even though she was still too weak to do anything. "You're in the tower. We- ah, I brought you to Cy. He told me to." The last was added in a rush, as if passing the blame on someone else. And she would've gotten mad, had it not been for the next gesture. Again, he moved his hand against her cheek, removing her hair from her face and she sighed, too weak to hide the pleasure the waves of warmth that came from his touch gave her.

"How's Robin?" She asked as he repeated the action and she closed her eyes.

"Not well… creepy. I've never seen anything like it. I was always telling Robin he should laugh more, but after seeing that expression, I'm starting to understand why he doesn't." Again she groaned as another painful tug inside her head hit her and she felt his panic through his touch.

"Rae, are you-?" He let out a sigh and removed his hand. She felt him stand up and move around the room and she blinked again, trying to focus her vision. "Cy said this would happen. He's destroying your mind, X I mean. It's his fault. That- hatred or something, he's-"

"Garfield, please." She said and, though her tone was stoic, he could almost hear her desperation, "It wasn't his fault. I was the one who-"

"There you go again. Stop protecting him, Rae. He's a criminal. He's not some lost puppy you found, who's aggressive because he never had an owner. This is a thief, someone who belongs in jail."

"I'm the one who made the bond."

"A bond that's killing you." She sighed, turning her head. Now she could see him clearly, pacing next to her.

"It's not killing-"

"Yes it is, Rae! Cyborg said so. He said it's like… like a parasite or something."

A parasite? She groaned as she tried to sit up. He was immediately next to her, holding her up and trying to help her. And, maybe taking advantage of her situation, she leaned against him, letting out a breath and relaxing for once.

"Where is he?" she asked and she felt him growl, so she had to explain. "Cyborg. Where is Cyborg?"

"Oh." He seemed torn between moving away and staying next to her. "He went to check on Robin. Star's with him too. He should- ah." Just as he was saying that the door to the infirmary opened. Cyborg stepped in and he looked just as tired as Garfield did. He raised his human eyebrow as he noticed the two sitting close on bed but said nothing of it.

"I see you're up and going, Rae. Well, not literally. Since you can't." He said, though his tone didn't sound as happy as it usually did. He looked at her dully, and it was obvious he was mad at her. "How're you feeling? I mean, apart from the headaches, the pain, the weakened powers and the fact that you just lived alone in a room with a most wanted thief for about a week?" She glared at the big brother of the team and then turned her narrowed eyes at Garfield. The green boy gulped and this time he moved away from her.

"I- ah, I told them how you two were- you know." She sighed but turned her angry eyes at Cyborg.

"I don't see how that's anyone's problem but mine." Cyborg regarded her for a moment, still cold, and then nodded, looking down at the chart in his hand.

"Yeah, you're right. You're free to live with how many criminals you want." She almost choked at his sarcasm, but only glared. "Hope you had fun, because now we have a thief on the loose and two teammates down." He flipped the chart and walked closer. "How's that headache?"

"Killing." She said bitterly, still glaring. She'd never expected a lecture from him. She's expected it from Robin, but not from him. Maybe it was just the lack of leader that made him feel entitled to scold her, but it still wasn't appreciated.

"Literally." He said, his red eye flashing. "It seems that now that your… bond, if you still want to call it that, has gone on for far longer than it should, and this guy's mind is out of his, well, his mind, you're literally losing yours as well. The physical effects are quite impressive. Wanna see?" She pursed her lips.

"No." He ignored her and threw the chart to her bed, keeping a piece of paper in his hand.

"See that picture? Look at all those colours. Pretty, eh?" He moved closer and she sighed, sending him a glare again as she picked up the image. There it was, her brain, with so many colours it barely looked like a brain at all. "The coloured part is where there are anomalies. So just focus on those." His sarcasm wasn't missed since the entire thing was flashing different colours. "You need to break it off."

"I can't. I need to be near him to do so." And then as a defence, she added, "I didn't think it would take this long."

"You didn't think. That I can believe."

"Dude…" said Beast Boy, trying to get him to lay down a bit, but both his teammates ignored him.

"I'm trying to do something good." She said and Cyborg snorted.

"Yeah, like getting yourself killed."

"I'm doing this for Robin." Cyborg glared at her with his human eye.

"And look how well this turned out for him."

"I can heal him. Maybe if I-"

"You're too weak, Rave. You couldn't heal a scratch right now even if you wanted to. I'm not risking you."

"That isn't your call." She retorted bitterly.

"No, it's Robin's call. But he's not exactly available, is he?" His tone was accusatory and she didn't like it.

"I was trying to prevent this." She defended, her voice flat.

"What a good job you did. Aiding the man who probably was the one to poison him in the first place!" He finished, raising his voice and her eyes widened. She stared at Cyborg for a moment and then turned to Beast Boy. The green man looked away, closing his eyes as if he was in pain.

"What?" she whispered in disbelief, but Cyborg didn't change his angry expression.

"Your boyfriend was here last night. Didn't he tell you?" She leaned back into the pillow, still in shock. Her eyes went to Cyborg and then Beast Boy, before finally settling down on her lap.

"I- I knew that, but all he did was take his belt back."

"He STOLE Robin's belt." Corrected Cyborg, still glaring at her, "And he paid a visit to the kitchen too. The man got thirsty. Left us this." He threw the piece of paper at her and she looked down at it as it landed on the mattress. A picture of Jason holding her close while she'd been unconscious. She pursed her lips at it. The thief certainly had a horrible sense of humour.

"That doesn't mean anything."

"Means he was here that night. Means he had access to the tower, to Robin's water bottles." She shook her head.

"We're connected. I would've known."

"Really?" He nodded toward the picture, "You don't seem conscious in that picture. What happened there?" She fell quiet and he nodded knowingly. "You're not connected all the time, are you?"

"I-" she sighed, "No." Cyborg nodded and that made her angrier. She turned to glare up at the half bot. "But that doesn't mean he did it."

"He was here that night, Rae." Tried Beast Boy but all he got was a glare.

"That's merely circumstantial. Jason's been trying to-"

"He's Jason now?" Asked Cyborg and her eyes narrowed at him.

"He's been trying to prevent this from the start!"

"Or has been waiting for an opening." Insisted the half bot.

"He would never use Joker's methods."

"You don't know that."

"I do know! I know him better than anyone else!" They fell quiet and she could almost feel a wave of emotion from both her teammates. But Cyborg's wasn't as strong as the one she felt from the man standing next to him. Not that she needed her powers to see his distress. She could almost see his heart break as she stared at his face, so she looked down.

"Well, whatever happened, doesn't matter now." Said Cyborg and she peeked at him from under her eyelashes. Beast Boy nodded, turning away and leaning against the wall.

"X hit again last night." Said the green man, and she felt her own stomach tighten at the thought.

"Where did he-"

"The Department of Research." Continued Beast Boy, his back to her, "Took the chance of both you and Robin being down and stole the Xenothium." He shrugged and Raven shook her head.

"He wouldn't. He promised-"

"He took everything." Cyborg said firmly, making her look up at him. "Every last bit of that thing." He sighed again. "We didn't even bother going, what with you entering into circulatory shock and Robin losing his mind to the venom. The titans were down and that's when he hit."

Raven looked down at her lap, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. It just couldn't be. He'd promised. Where was he now? Where did he go?

_Jason? Jason!_

No answer. Instead, there was another wave of hatred, hard, raw rage and the same adrenaline rush she'd felt from him before, urging her to do something. She let out a breath, trying to calm down and then another. She tried closing her eyes. _Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos._

Something started beeping and she felt Cyborg move around her as she twisted, trying to do whatever the rush of adrenaline told her to do. Run? Fight? Kill? What was she supposed to do to let out of that energy? She twisted again, her hands clutching the sheets. The lights started to flicker and something exploded in the background.

"She's having another panic attack. Rave, you need to lay down. Rave?" She was panting and the beeping increased. "Raven!" She turned her eyes to him, blinking, but they were completely blank.

"What do I do?" hurried Garfield from her other side, trying to do something useful. Cyborg sent her a glare before moving away.

"Hold her still. I need to sedate her again, before she hurts herself."

_Again?_ She thought dimly, still panting, and Beast Boy held her against him firmly, stopping her movements.

"It's okay, Rae. You're going to be okay." She looked up at him, unable to say anything. How could he be so sweet with her when she'd just felt him break? How could he still be there, next to her, still holding her when she'd done nothing but hurt him? She sighed; suddenly feeling very sleepy as the serum entered her system and she moved to nuzzle his chin, finally relaxing. She saw his eyes widened as hers closed, losing consciousness.

He stared down at her sleeping face as the beeping stopped and she was breathing softly, too quietly, looking almost gone. His hold tightened at the thought. How many hours had he spent watching over her in the past week? This was the third time he'd been like this, first with the beast incident, then with that idiotic bond and now… like this. She was pale, but her lips were almost purple. Had they always been that way? His eyes dazed as he leaned down ever so slightly, thinking of the kiss she'd given him before. Had she kissed that thief too? Were they something of a couple now? He'd apparently broken a promise, and Garfield's hold tightened further as he thought about it. That brat didn't deserve her. Not when he would go around hurting her friends, hurting her and breaking promises. She needed-

"You can put her down now." Said Cyborg amusedly and Garfield blinked up at him in surprise, obviously having forgotten he was there.

"Um… yeah." He did as he'd been told, slowly letting Raven slid from his arms and back to the bed. Her face suddenly changed, her eyebrows furrowing as if she was in pain. "You think she'll be alright?" Cyborg didn't answer. Instead, he took the chart from her bed and frowned down at the picture.

"You should rest a bit, man." He told his teammate with a half smile. He nodded before sending his friend a foul look.

"You shouldn't have pressured her like that." The half bot shrugged,

"It needed to be done." Gar sighed, staring down at her.

"You could've gone easy on her."

"She doesn't deserve that." Best Boy turned to him sharply.

"She made a mistake. That's not-"

"Her mistake could cost us Robin's life." Said Victor, returning the harsh look, "And her own life." He sighed, "I'll be damned if I let her stupid crush on some boy hurt this team. Hell, hurt her. She's-" he stopped for a moment and Gar stared at him, "She's my little sis, okay?" Beast Boy smiled sadly.

"Yeah… I know what you mean." He answered though he was sure Raven wasn't his little sister, or older sister or anything like that. She was still his family, but the sister aspect of it had been lost right when she'd kissed him, maybe before that. How was it that such a small gesture could change his perspective about someone?

Cyborg placed a hand on his shoulder and tried to smile, though it came out empty, not reaching his eyes. "You should go have a nap, man. You look like you haven't slept in days." Garfield huffed.

"I could tell you the same thing." But then he shook his head. "I'll stay with her." And Victor nodded.

"At least use one of the beds instead of the chair. She's not going anywhere for a while. Not with the meds I gave her." Garfield nodded.

"What about you?" Cyborg sighed.

"I'm going to check on Robin. He's… he's not doing great and I need to check the vaccines, just to see if… you know." The half bot couldn't help but notice the worried expression the green man was giving their teammate and he ruffled the green man's hair.

"Cheer up, Grass stain. We'll get through this. We always do." Beast Boy gave him a half smile, one that didn't reach his eyes, but still nodded.

"Thanks dude."

"Anytime."

…

Starfire sobbed, rubbing her reddened eyes as she stared at her boyfriend. The moments when he was conscious were the worst. Robin turned to her, unable to close his eyes fully as the toxins kept his face twisted in a wide grin. This wasn't the first time he'd been hit with something similar, but the first to be hit with something so strong. The worst part: He couldn't stop smiling; he couldn't, just for a second, stop and tell Star to go away. He hated that she was seeing him like that, in such a weakened state, with his heart pumping and beating as fast as it was humanly possible, and he knew that in half day it would stop.

"Star?" Cyborg entered the room and the girl sniffed, rubbing her face with her hands, trying to hide the fact that she'd been crying. "You should get some sleep. I can take care of him for a while." She shook her head.

"No. If Robin is to spend his hours in pain, I should be the one to stand beside him." The half-bot nodded though he could see the desperation on the laughing man's face. "How is he, Cyborg? Are we able to create a cure?" Cyborg sighed again, unsure of what to tell her.

"I'm doing what I can. There are still some samples cultivating with some chemicals. I still…" He choked for a moment as Robin's eyes fell on his and he gulped down his words. "We'll get through this." He said instead, though he hardly believed the words anymore. It seemed like Robin could communicate through his eyes, despite the twisted grin. He wasn't wearing his mask, since it'd started to dig onto his skin the moment his grin froze in that horrible way, so he could easily see his face. It wasn't often he got to see Richard's face. It made him look younger, smaller even. And Robin had always been thin, lean and short, but he never looked small. Maybe it was the way he carried himself, or the respect they all had for him, their leader, that made them look up at him instead of down.

Starfire sniffled, breaking Cyborg's train of thought. Robin was still watching him with wide eyes as if he wanted to tell him something important, something vital. But what?

The half bot looked down, shaking his head at his friend from behind Starfire. He wasn't going to make it. He knew that. There was no cure for Joker venom. Not that it was known of. Not to him at least. Robin's eyes went from Cyborg and back to the red eyed Starfire.

"I'm going to check on those samples, Star. Just be sure to tell me if you notice any changes." The alien nodded, barely hearing the heavy steps of her teammate as he left the room.

Robin laughed again, trying to move and Starfire stood, placing a hand in his. "What is it, Dick?" she wondered. She could see his stress as he moved and twisted. "Do not worry, my love. Cyborg will find a cure for your pain… I am certain." She leaned down and kissed his forehead. He was covered in sweat. She sighed against his skin, her eyes closed. At least, for now, he was still there, alive and conscious. "It does not matter what will happen, Dick. I will always be here." His hand managed to squeeze hers and he again started laughing, like he did every time he tried speaking. She stared down at him in confusion, wondering what he'd been trying to tell them. "I am sorry… I cannot understand what you are trying to say." And he stopped, leaning back and giggling, squeezing her hand as tears fell from his eyes. "Oh, my love."

…

Garfield turned in his bed restlessly. He'd tried closing his eyes, but then panic raised and he would have to turn and see the empath on the other bed just to reassure himself she was still there. What was happening to him? Since when had he been so obsessed with keeping Raven near? Not that it was weird when she kept tossing and moving like she was.

He sighed, rubbing his face and sat up, moving until he was sitting on the bed. Not only were they losing Robin, but they were losing Raven too. All because of that scum. He growled to himself, hoping he would see that twisted smirk again and punch it until the brat wasn't smirking anymore. Raven let out a moan, a mutter, and then settled down again. And he lost his grimace and stared at her worriedly. What would he do if he lost her to this stupid spell of hers? What had she been trying to do? She'd insisted it'd all been for Robin, but what did that mean? He gulped, wondering if she would do the same for him if they were in the same situation. For a moment there, he wished it would be him with the connection. At least then he would be able to see inside her head, see her reason… hear her voice again. He was almost hoping to hear her call him stupid again, in that light monotone, instead of that drowning weak voice she had when she'd been awake.

Again she made a noise and he stood, moving closer to her. Her face was twisted as if she was in pain and it killed him to not be able to do anything to offer comfort. He walked to her, his back cracking as he straightened and he groaned. The stress was starting to get to him, though he was sure it was getting to all of them. This was far too much to handle. But there she was, with him, for the moment. That was something, right?

Again, he returned to the same place he'd been since the previous night: the chair next to Raven's bed. That was the only spot he could be where he wouldn't feel completely useless. He took her hand once again as she started moving and that seemed to calm her down, just like it'd happened the night before. He bit his lower lip, his fangs sticking out, as he wondered if she calmed with his touch or if any touch would do. But her face still showed the same painful expression as before and he couldn't look at her that long. So he raised her hand to his face, closing his eyes and letting the back of her skin touch his cheek.

"You need to get better, Rae." He whispered, though he was sure she couldn't hear him. "We need to have a long talk, and you can't bail out on me. You kissed me and I need to know why." And then he sighed and opened his eyes. "I need to know if you feel the same way."

…

Raven was floating with her eyes closed, feeling safe at last, as waves of warmth covered her body along with the inside of her mind. What had happened? She could barely remember when she felt such peace. Her emotions were nowhere to be found, so she could just relax without anyone disturbing her. It was such a perfect moment. There was a light blue aura around the sky and she smiled gently, staring up at the soft, white clouds. And that odd scent helped calm her. Something wet and humid, but for some reason soothing, like the scent of rainy days. It was so relaxing, so perfect. But good moments don't last forever.

_Raven._

Someone called her and she sighed, closing her eyes again, trying to ignore the call.

_Raven._

She blinked and saw up into the darkness. Whose voice was that?

_Raven._

Her eyes widened. This voice wasn't…?

"Jason?" she wondered out loud and the voice answered.

_No._

She blinked. Who was-? Her eyes widened as memories came back rushing, giving her the same headache again.

"Robin!" she exclaimed out loud, stopping in the air suddenly and looking around. Robin was using their bond. But why? How-?

"Robin. I heard-"

_Raven. Bruce has it._

He sounded weak and she blinked in confusion. What?

_Bruce has a cure._

Her eyes widened.

"How?"

_He was hit ages ago. He developed Joker's venom antidote to cure himself. You need to hurry._

"I can't move. I'm sedated. I can't-"

_You're the only one who can help me now._

"I want to. I need to wake up, I just need- GAH!" She felt like electricity went through her body and she fell to the ground, weakened, falling on both her hands and knees. She was shaking, trying to get up. What was happening to her? "The mind meld. It's been going on for too long. My powers… my body…"

_They are his now._

Her eyes narrowed at the tone and she shook her head.

"He doesn't know. He's not doing this on purpose."

_Doesn't make it any less true. Even if it's dim, I can feel it too, Raven. His hatred. I need to break the connection or it'll weaken me too._

Robin had used her own ideal against her and she hoped she could be free of her own emotions, and just feel Jason's. She wished Jason could give her that sleeping gas he'd used before to make her numb again, for now she would have to deal with the pain, the guilt, of being the one to drag her best friend's murderer to him.

_I need you Raven. I know I can count on you._

And with that last phrase, she was left alone inside her mind again.

…

Cyborg slammed his hands against the desk as soon as he entered the operations room he'd been working in. He gritted his teeth, unable to think, shaking in rage. The moment he saw that scum thief, he was going to kill him. No doubt about it. The two moral compasses of the team were down, meaning there was no one else to hold him back. He turned his eyes to the many test tubes. They were all bubbling, foam escaping from the top. Failures. He sighed, placing a hand on his head. What could he do? All of his tests had gone bad. He'd known that when he'd been back with Beast Boy, back with Starfire. What could he tell his team? That he'd failed? That he hadn't managed to save two members of their family?

He turned, moving about the place. This was Robin's operation's room. Well, not Robin's in particular, but it seemed the titan never left the place. The bot walked up at the desk. Many pictures were on top. Bruce Wayne? His human eye narrowed as he stared down at the very well known man and then his eye widened.

"I'll be damned." He said as realization hit him. And then he shuffled the pictures. There was a younger Jason, smirking at the camera. Even then he looked like a little brat. Next to that picture was the image of a pretty red headed girl with glasses sitting on a wheelchair. He raised his human eyebrow, wondering what the hell had Robin been doing all this time. Their leader never told them anything. His hand moved around the pictures. Some of them had Dick Grayson, smiling widely at the camera and Cyborg couldn't help but smile in amusement. Robin was never that open and cheerful when he was around them. Was it because being a leader forced him to be serious? In another, there was a young Dick Grayson, hugging a very disgruntled looking Bruce Wayne. He never knew Dick was a hugger.

Cyborg sighed again, throwing the pictures back at the table. He was tired and had no idea what to do next. Well, he could- something caught his eye and he looked down with a frown. There was a map there, with some crosses here and there.

"Water treatment plants?" Wondered Cyborg and his eye widened. So Robin had been investigating water plants. All of the plants were crossed out, as if dismissed. Why would Robin take Jason's warning serious, he wasn't sure. But why would Jason warn them if he was going to attack them in just that way?

"Criminal minds, man." He muttered to himself, moving the sheets of paper around. He found another under it and his eyes widened. Robin hadn't been done. He had a map with bottled water companies? Those were all rounded up. So why had Robin drank from the water bottle if-? His eye widened. He hadn't. He'd changed the bottles. But still there'd been venom in there! How-? He found a note next. He frowned. Robin had changed water bottle suppliers. He was the only one to drink those, so…

"No! Crap." Cyborg's red eye ran an infrared scan on the sheet of paper. With his human eye, he saw a simple receipt, signed by Robin. But with his red eye he saw it. The image of a card, neatly drawn on the piece of paper. A joker card. "That sick bastard." He muttered to himself as he realized the mad man had probably planned all from the start. How else would Jason know-? He sighed. He'd blamed the wrong person. And it was like a sick joke to add his image, signing his face onto his work, knowing no one would ever find it.

Just then, an alarm started to sound and his communicator started to beep. Cyborg turned to the screen in the room, his red eye flashing. And his human eye widened. The infirmary.

…

_Hey love!_

It'd felt like days since she heard that voice. Raven was laying on the ground, staring up at the sky, being covered in warmth, too weak to move. Robin's talk had left her exhausted and she couldn't figure out how to wake up.

"Bastard." She spat out to the surroundings and she almost felt gleeful. But this wasn't her glee, this was his.

_I love it when you talk dirty. How're ya feeling? I was worried._

She glared up at the sky, feeling her own emotions stir. But then there was that warmth, keeping them in place, keeping her controlled enough not to have another attack. "You left me. You stole. You-" she choked, and she sighed, leaning back, closing her eyes at the pain.

_Yeah, sorry about that. I was… a bit upset._

"Upset?" she snorted. "It was you who caused this."

_Pardon me?_

"You poisoned Robin."

…_Is that what you believe? _

She felt his pain, his regret and his sadness. Was it that he could actually trust her? Care about her? No. He was a criminal, a monster, capable of killing his own brother.

"I don't know what to believe." Raven sighed, turning to her side weakly, still on the ground. "You were in the tower right before Robin drank the venom." There was silence after that and her eyes narrowed. She tried sitting up, but then felt too weak. Even her mind wasn't as strong. She needed to break the bond as soon as she could. If she didn't, maybe Jason's mind would mend with hers far more than she'd intended to, considering how strongly he felt.

_That doesn't mean anything._

His tone was dark, and for a moment there, she wondered if he was begging to be trusted again.

_Believe what you must, love. I just wanted to let you know..._

The voice around her continued as the connection with Jason got strong enough to overcome her. When did it get like this? She'd noticed getting tired far easier than usual lately, but that was just normal when you had to keep such connections for too long. One as dim as the one she had with Robin didn't bother her much, but this? And it'd been days.

"What is it, Jason?"

_I'm in Gotham._

Her eyes widened, hope starting to grow.

"Jason. Bruce has the cure. Bruce can cure Richard. Please, Jason. You need to go-" She sounded desperate.

_I'm not talking to Bruce, Raven_.

Her eyes narrowed at the dark red sky. Hadn't it been blue just a few minutes ago?

"You're the only one who can help Robin."

_Why would I do that?_

She stared up with wide eyes. Had he-? Had he been the one to-?

_You don't know that. Whatever happened to your trust?_

She looked down, her nails digging into the ground.

"Didn't you steal the Xenothium? Didn't you break your promise?" She heard him chuckle bitterly. Even so, she still felt his regret, but it was quickly overcome by hatred.

_Sorry, love. I needed it_. She tried standing up and the environment turned even redder.

_I'm going to kill the Joker._

Just as the words were said a flock of ravens flew around her, and they covered her and she screamed out in pain. She tried using her powers, but she was too weak, barely managing to push a few back.

_A life for a life. _

…

Beast Boy's head nodded as he was starting to fall asleep. He was still on the chair, still holding Raven's hand. The touch at least assured him she was still there, she was still alive, and that was enough to relax him. But he still was uncomfortable in that chair, his back still painfully tense, reminding him how much time he'd spend sitting there. His eyes were closed as he took a deep breath. In went the air carrying the fresh scent of herbal tea and soap, and he smiled to himself. She was there, alive, breathing, smelling wonderful like she always was. He knew he should be worried about Robin, should be there with Star, but he couldn't leave Raven's side. Something kept him there, telling him it was his duty to protect her. She'd stirred something inside him the moment she'd kissed him and now he was sure it would never go away. It wasn't like it'd been with Terra. With the blonde, he'd never worried about her safety. Maybe it was the fact that Raven was always at risk, always something trying to get her, trying to get hold of her powers. Most of the time it was something he couldn't fight directly, leaving him feel helpless, scared and, most of the time, useless. So all he could do was stay near her, like a good guardian dog, to keep her safe in case anything he could fight tried to steal her away again.

He was falling asleep when he heard a beeping. Soft, constant beeping and he wondered if it was inside his head, inside his dream, or if it was real. He blinked a couple of times and noticed the beeping had grown louder.

"Raven." He said, suddenly awake and he moved to stare down at her. Her features grimaced and he grabbed her hand with both hands. "Raven? Come on, Rae. Don't scare me." She gasped for air and Beast Boy quickly hit his communicator with one hand, still holding her hand with the other, beeping for Cyborg. "Rae, are you okay?" She shouldn't be waking up now. This was wrong. Cyborg had said the meds would keep her sleeping. What was-?

"Garfield." He gasped, letting go of her hand. Her voice sounded like an echo, as if someone else's voice was speaking with her. And then her eyes opened. Four red eyes staring up at the ceiling.

"Oh no."

…


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13. Demons and Beasts.**

Starfire sighed staring at Robin's half closed eyes. At least he was once again sleeping as well as he could. There was a line of drool on his chin and she grabbed a tissue to whip it off. This was the first time in her life Robin hadn't appeared handsome. His face was twisted beyond recognition and she let out a breath, throwing the uses tissue to the recycling bin she'd placed nearby. At least he wasn't tearing up anymore. This had to be the first time she also saw him so helpless. It felt as a reminder of his humanity. She hugged herself, suddenly feeling very alone. She was a warrior, a Tamaranean princess. She was a survivor, the strongest of her species if you asked her, she'd manage to defeat her sister, to turn around her fate as a give away present, so easily discharged and yet so full of dignity. So she deserved someone as strong, as powerful and as independent as she was. And she'd found Richard, sharing all those things she appreciated in others. Someone who, despite his disadvantages, still managed to hold himself up against people with super powers. He didn't fly, he didn't have any impressive strength like she did, he didn't have mystical powers or could change his shape into anything he wanted, or had the strength and fast thinking of a machine, and yet he was their leader. Why? Because of the tiny value that none of the other titans had: He never gave up. And that was why she fell in love with him. He was, and would always be, her rock, the strongest one, maybe not physically but mentally. He'd managed to last longer than most with the venom still running through his veins, and yet there he was, sleeping, his giggling quieting down. But looking at him like that, not only reminded her of his strength, but also served as a reminder of her own nature. Starfire sobbed, tearing up again. She wasn't that strong, not emotionally, not as Richard was. She felt her heart break every time she saw tears coming down from his eyes, had felt her insides twist as she saw Beast Boy enter the tower, carrying an unconscious Raven as her sister twisted in pain, she felt her head almost explode as she heard Cyborg yelling out in the background as she felt her world collapse before her. How did they do that? How did their teammates stay as strong as they were?

Kori let out a sob she'd been trying to hold back, not having the emotional balance required to do so. She envied Raven then, hoping to have her ability to stay stoic and emotionless even in the most difficult circumstances. She envied Garfield, with his ability to find joy and humour in every dark situation, lightening up a bit of the drama with his wit. And she envied Cyborg, with his responsible persona, how he managed to help and think fast enough to save everyone who was down, not only physically but also emotionally. But above all, she envied Richard, who still managed to fight back whatever was thrown against him, with his still human physique and his human mind. How could a mere human with no powers still manage to be so great?

The alarm started to ring and she looked up, her face highlighted by red light as the buzz went on. What was happening? She threw a worried look at Richard, hoping the buzzing wouldn't wake him up. She saw him stir; staring to laugh slightly and she moved to grab his hand tightly, hoping to be, just this time, his rock.

"Everything is all right." She told him in a soothing voice, smiling down at him sadly as his eyes opened ever so slightly, still grinning widely. He stirred, twisting a bit and started giggling as he tried to say something. When he noticed he couldn't he fell quiet again, his eyes going from the door to Starfire's. "I am going to revise what is happening outside, Dick. I am sure it is nothing of importance." She tried holding back tears, "Friend Cyborg has managed to take some samples of the water from the bottles you drank from and he will have the antidote shortly. Do not worry." She was lying and she was terrible at it, but he barely nodded, trying to close his eyes again. She leaned down to kiss his forehead, and sighed against his skin as he still was covered in sweat.

The alien girl moved, opening the door and taking a step outside, just managing to see Cyborg running down the hallway.

"Cyborg, what is-?"

"Starfire!" He exclaimed, pausing for a second as he saw her. "Stay inside. Protect Robin. Something's going on. Something bad." She blinked, nodding.

"What is happening?" Cyborg sighed, looking like he wanted to leave.

"It's Raven. It's finally happened. We'll keep her busy, hold her back. Don't let anything happen to Robin, don't let him know." She felt her heart drop.

"But the buzzing. It has awoken him." Cyborg nodded, flicking his communicator and pressing a button. Just like that, the buzzing stopped.

"I disabled the alarm. Just get with him, and if- if Raven gets here…" Starfire nodded.

"She will not get pass me." She said with all the pride of a Tamaranean warrior. Cyborg almost smiled.

"Good. I'll see you soon." And with that, he ran down the hallway, leaving the alien floating by the door. She took a deep breath and turned to smile at Richard. She flew over him and kissed his forehead again, forcing a smile.

"See?" she said lightly, holding back her emotions, trying to remember what little she'd learned from her time inside Raven's body, "Nothing is wrong. Just a failure in the system of alarm."

…

"Rae, please. Don't do this! I don't want to hurt you!"

Beast Boy had tried to reason with her, but she was far too gone. Her eyes were red and there were four of them, two of them making her forehead stick out oddly and she was floating in the air, her hair long now, waving with her energy. Even her skin seemed redder and he took a step back as yet another piece of equipment blew up.

"Insignificant love-sick pup." She said in a voice that sounded far too cold to be her own. His eyes widened as he realized that, along with Raven's voice, there was another one, much deeper, sounding like an echo. "You couldn't hurt me even if you tried." Her rage. He remembered that voice, back when he'd been inside her head.

"This isn't you, Rae!" He screamed out and the Raven raised an arm at him.

"Don't be fooled, mortal. Raven is no longer in control." And he was pushed back, slammed against the wall as his body was covered in dark energy. He gasped as he felt his neck cracking painfully as he was slammed again. The red Raven flew closer to him, staring with a twisted smirk. "Do you love her?" She asked in a cruel voice and he glared at her. "What a pitiful being you are. Never anything more than a pet."

"Stop." He begged, feeling tears threatening to come out as her words hit him where it hurt.

"Let me tell you, fool. You are nothing to her. You've never been anything but a nuisance." He growled.

"That's not true! Raven-"

"Raven loves me. Even now she's calling for me." He growled again, his fangs showing.

"You're lying." He said in a low voice and then groaned when he was slammed again.

"Really?" She laughed coldly, "I've lived inside her head, I know what is in her mind. I-AAH!" The floating Raven was pushed away, letting Beast boy go as Cyborg hit her with a blue ray.

"Cy…" Croaked Beast Boy trying to calm himself down as the half bot entered the room.

"You're not Rave." Cyborg said with a dark voice, "Which means we can hit you with everything we've got." Raven was on the floor, trying to stand up after being pushed with such force. But then she started laughing, an odd sound coming from the girl in question. It only helped remind Beast Boy that whoever was there wasn't Raven.

"You can try. But this is still the body of my host. You kill me and you kill her." Beast Boy gaped, obviously affected by her words, but Cyborg pointed his gun at her again. He'd made the mistake of holding back when they fought Raven the first time. If he hadn't… if he'd fought back then, maybe…

"So be it."

…

Raven moaned in pain, taking a fetal position on the ground. The sky was red and she turned her eyes up to the sky. It was chaos. The rocks above her were moving fast, collapsing onto each other like meteorites on space. She tried kneeling but failed again. At least the ravens were gone, joining the rage taking over.

_Insignificant love-sick pup._

Who was that? She looked up shaking, her eyes widening. The voice sounded all over the place like a thunder, almost hurting her ears at the volume. Was it- Was that Rage? She sat up then, forcing herself.

_You could not hurt me even if you tried._

Who was she speaking to?

Raven winced as she tried moving, the many cuts the ravens had done to her skin stinging as the fabric of her cloak touched them. But she managed to lean on her knees enough to straighten her back, still feeling weak.

_Do not be fooled, mortal. Raven is no longer in control._

What? She wasn't in control? Her eyes widened. Then that meant her body had been taken over.

"No…" She whispered, trying to get up.

_Do you love her?_

Her eyes went up to the sky suddenly, widening at the revelation. She was talking to someone. The cruel tone, the question.

_What a pitiful being you are. Never anything more than a pet._

Beast Boy! She was speaking to Beast Boy. Raven stood, trying to keep her legs strong enough to hold her up. She glared up at the red sky. She wasn't feeling rage! Why was her body-? Her eyes widened. Jason. It had to be Jason's doing. It was his emotions taking over her body, not her own. She still felt no need to feel rage, not inside her head, still felt no need for regrets, the vicious need to get revenge. This was all Jason's doing.

_Let me tell you, fool. You are nothing to her. You've never been anything but a nuisance._

No, that wasn't true. Raven shook, feeling helpless as she stared up at the sky.

"Jason!" She screamed out as hard as her weak lungs allowed her to. "Jason, please!"

_Raven loves me. Even now she's calling for me._

"That is NOT true!" She screamed out. "You manipulative demon. Stop trying to-!

_Really?_

What? Raven blinked up at the sky.

_I've lived inside her head, I know what is in her mind. I-AAH! _

"AAH!" Raven fell down on the ground, as if someone had pushed her. She groaned, trying to move again. What was happening?

_You can try half-bot. But this is still the body of my host. You kill me and you kill her._

Raven's eyes widened. They were attacking her. Cyborg was attacking her. She sighed in resignation, closing her eyes tightly. Good. That meant they stood a chance. Even if they killed her, they stood a chance. But Robin… She opened her eyes with determination. Robin had gone down to hell just to bring her back. She was going to return the favour. She was going to let him live, even if that was the last thing she did.

"JASON!" She screamed out again with renewed forces, though still barely managing to hold her head up.

_-I'm going to kill him. I know where he hides. I know where to look._

That was Jason's voice. "Jason, please!"

_Sorry, love. I'm sorry. _

"Jason, Robin's dying. Call Bruce. Please bring back his antidote."

_There is nothing to be done. A life for a life._

She groaned in pain, again being thrown away and she fell from the cliff onto the next floating below.

"Jason, you can't let him die!" Again she was thrown away and she yelped as she was moved back, and groaned as her back collapsed on the floor again.

_You're hurting her._

…

"You're hurting her." Gasped the red Raven, smirking at the two titans. Beast Boy turned back from the bear he'd been into his human form, panting and tired. Cyborg was there as well, his arm still pointed at her.

"You're lying." Said Cyborg but the red Raven laughed.

"Am I?" She stood still looking dominant, her back straightening proudly. "All you'll end up doing is hurting poor dear Raven." She turned her vicious grin toward the green man, her hand carelessly removing the blood from her chin. "Is that what you hope to do, pet?" Beast Boy gritted his teeth, but Cyborg was still there.

"Don't listen to her, B. She's bluffing." But the green man was listening.

"But… we can't hurt her, Cy. We- this is Raven." Cyborg's human eye went from Beast Boy to the demon before him and, very slowly, his arm lowered.

"Fools." Said Raven with a smirk as she unleashed her power.

…

"NO!" Raven was looking around. She needed something. She needed to think fast.

"Jason!"

_Sorry, love. _

Every time she called, he repeated the same mantra. They were going to lose Robin. They were going to- Her eyes widened.

"Jason, they are attacking me."

The rocks above her stopped moving.

_Love?_

"Your rage has taken over me." There was silence for a moment and she was sure he was feeling doubt.

_He's near. I can feel it! I'm getting close._

An excuse. She let out a breath, angrily hitting the ground below her with her fist. Hadn't he said he liked her? Hadn't he implied he could love her? She let out another gasp, as her side hurt.

"Jason, they're hurting me."

_You'll be okay. You have your powers._

She bit her lower lip, holding back her own emotions, since her rage would only give her body more power.

"I am attacking my friends, Jason. And they are attacking me."

_I am so close, love. You can't do this now. Just hold on. You can't take this away from me, not now. Not when I'm this close._

She felt his desperation and she could only glare up at the sky. His selfishness was going to get everyone she loved killed.

…

"AGH!" "GAH!"

Both titans groaned in pain as they were both pushed against the wall. Raven smirked, her red eyes glowing in the dark as the few lights around them exploded. It seemed this Raven lacked as much control as the real Raven did.

"We can't keep this up, B." grunted Cyborg as he stood. "We need to attack her." Beast Boy shook his head. He knew Cyborg was right, but if they hurt her, if they managed to weaken her, then they would weaken Raven's body and in the state she'd been, she would probably- He let out a breath, not wanting to think about that.

"Raven!" He tried, "I know you're in there. You can fight this, Rae. You can!" The red Raven laughed lightly and waved a hand at him. Again he was thrown against the wall.

"Do you think she can hear you, pet?" She smirked, "When you are nothing to her but a stupid, lazy excuse of a hero?" He gritted his teeth, her words getting to him.

"Sorry, man." Said Cyborg, glaring at the girl, "But if you won't do it, I will." And he pointed his arm at her again.

…

_Raven!_

That voice… that wasn't Jason. She looked up at the sky. Again, she felt warm and she sighed, closing her eyes as she felt a slight sense of comfort.

…can fight… can.

The voice was faint and she blinked down at her hands as she used them to raise herself again. Who was that?

_Do you think she can hear you, pet?_

Her eyes widened. That had been Beast Boy. But how? She moved to stand again.

_When you are nothing to her but a stupid, lazy excuse of a hero?_

"No!" She screamed out. Those were lies. Jason's anger was feeding out of her own insecurities, and her knowledge of her friends. And she was hitting right where she knew would hurt the most.

"AH!" Raven bent as she felt electricity go through her again, but this time she managed to stay standing after it was gone. Beast Boy was right. She could fight this. She could face Jason's emotions with her own. She tried closing her eyes, tried to relax, but a second shot of electricity broke her will and she gasped in pain again.

_I'm so close._

That was Jason again and, for a moment there, she wondered if he could feel her pain.

"You'll end up killing me, Jason."

_Don't do this, love. Don't try to guilt me out of my mission._

She snorted in response. "Guilt? What do you know about that? I- AH!" She fell to the ground again and gritted her teeth. She needed to do this, and she was going to do it alone. So she closed her eyes again, trying to concentrate. A stronger emotion than rage. What was stronger than rage? Concentrate. And she tried focusing on her memories.

Robin smiling at her as he offered her to join the titans. "I know enough."

Next was Cyborg, the same day. "You fit in just fine."

And then Beast Boy, "No way! You think I'm funny?!"

Next there was Starfire. "I am wishing to join you in meditation…"

The real Raven smiled to herself.

Little by little small moments started to appear in Raven's mind. The pain was back, the distraction momentary as she managed to focus her attention in those moments. Hugging Robin after he saved her from her father. Helping Cyborg with his car. Talking with Starfire and being called her sister. Hugging Beast Boy after facing Malchior.

"GAH!" She fell to the ground again, but she couldn't stop now.

Laughing with Terra about Beast Boy. Cyborg patting her back. Starfire hugging her in excitement. Jason teasing her. Robin speaking to her after she entered his mind. Beast Boy joking, trying to get her to smile. It was working.

_NO!_

…

"NO!" Screamed out Rage, holding her head, walking backwards as if someone had pushed her. Cyborg took a step closer, his arm still raised. He'd manage to keep her backing up but this time, it hadn't been him.

"Dude! Wait!" Beast Boy jumped to grab his arm, pulling it down, keeping him from shooting. "Something's happening."

…

Training with her friends, rolling her eyes as Cyborg cheered for beating his own record. Reading on the kitchen table only to be bothered by Starfire as she requested Raven to brush her hair. Talking to Robin for hours about training. Kissing Beast Boy for the first time. And Raven's eyes opened…

…

And Raven's eyes opened. She was panting, on the floor, but this wasn't the rocky ground she'd been kneeling on anymore. This was steel. She could feel Jason's rage fighting her and she struggled to stay in control. She turned her eyes to the two titans staring at her. Beast Boy's eyes widened at the sight of the violet blue eyes staring at him.

"It's her! It's Raven."

"Won't last long…" she struggled, still on the ground and Garfield made a move to get closer, but Cyborg stopped him. She would've smiled at whom she considered her big brother. That had been the right call. "…you need… to hold me back…" She winced.

_I'm almost there._

Jason's voice was once again speaking inside her head; his hatred pushing her away and she knew her control wouldn't last long.

"Robin… I'll… save him. The antidote…" She winced, "Jason-"

_I'll kill him._

"AAH!" And she fell back inside her head.

Cyborg's human eye widened. Antidote? There was an antidote?

"What do we do?!" Said Beast Boy in panic, wanting to hold Raven, but Cyborg still had his arm raised before him, keeping him from doing so. The half-bot struggled with himself. He'd made the wrong choice back then, holding back. He'd made the wrong choice now, attacking her. Now he wasn't sure what to do. Then again, Raven was still his little sister.

"We trust Raven." Answered the half-bot. "We hold her back."

…

Raven fell back onto the ground inside her mind. She smirked, panting from the effort of focusing on one emotion. She could almost feel Happy rejoice for having being let out. But now they knew. Hopefully they would be able to hold her back, give her some time, even if Robin's time was starting to run short.

"JASON!" She screamed out, her voice thundering in the empty place. "I know you can hear me, Jason!"

_Don't do this._

He'd answered and she glared up at the sky, angry at his tone. He was begging and she could feel his anger, his struggle to stay in the mission. Maybe he cared?

_I do! I just- I can't stop._

"You can, Jason. You can do the right thing!"

_The Xenothium won't last too long, love. I need it. I need to get_-

"What about us?! What about Robin? Your own brother!"

_He'll get out of it._

"He'll die if you don't help him. He can't speak, Jason! I can't speak! We will never be able to go to Gotham and back. You need to bring back the antidote. You need-"

_Well, maybe he deserves it!_

Jason's voice was angry and she stared up at the ceiling in horror.

_FOOLS!_

Her eyes widened as that voice wasn't Jason's, but her own.

"Oh no!"

…

"FOOLS!" Raven stretched, a raven shaped shadow behind her pushing back the two titans trying to hold her back. Beast Boy fell on both legs and hands, throwing himself at her again. He turned into a giant squid mid air, his tentacles trying to hold her down as they wrapped around her wrists. "Do you really think this will stop me?" She smirked and covered his tentacles with dark energy. He was pushed back again, and again he managed to land gracefully.

"Raven told us to do this." He said with determination. "I won't give up!"

"You said it, Grass stain!" Cyborg smirked, pointing his gun above Raven and shooting. The ceiling collapsed on her and she was pushed down. It wasn't enough to hurt her badly, but enough to hold her down. But then Raven used a portal to get out of there and appear behind them. She laughed viciously, again using her energy to throw them back.

"Dude, this isn't working!"

The girl paused for a moment, floating on the air and both titans stared, waiting for her to make the first move.

"He deserves it!" She said, her eyes focusing on the door. "He deserves to die!" She flew toward it and Cyborg once again tried pushing her away with his gun.

…

_He deserves it!_

"No!" Raven was breathing heavily as she felt her insides burn. Her body was used unconditionally, without any regard of her stamina or her safety. "Jason, please…"

_I'm sorry. _

His voice did sound sorry, but the other one didn't.

_He deserves to die!_

…

"Who deserves to die?" Asked Garfield as they blocked the way to the door. Cyborg frowned as the girl stood from the floor. Raven would've never get hit so many times. It was hard to believe this being in front of them was actually an emotion, using Raven's ability to give body to her emotions, and this wasn't hers to begin with. It was Todd's. Robin's brother.

"I think she wants to get Rob." He said in a low voice. "We can't let her get away, B."

"Um…" The red Raven floated through the hole in the roof as the other two just watched. "That can't be good." Said Beast Boy, staring up at the hole in the roof where the girl had gone through.

"Shit." Cyborg seemed to be thinking the same thing. "She's in the common room now. We need to get to her fast." Beast Boy nodded.

"Take the stairs man, I'll hold her back." With that, the green man turned into a green sparrow and flew through the hole himself, since Cyborg wouldn't fit. The half bot closed his eyes for a second, gathering strength, before turning and leaving the room. At least it seemed this rage didn't know where Robin was. The bad part was, it wouldn't take much for her to destroy the entire building, all titans inside included.

But if what Raven had said, if there truly was an antidote, then there was hope. He took a deep breath, turning and running down the hallway. He needed to make a scale first.

…

"Your rage is trying to kill Robin." She said up at the sky, still glaring. Raven couldn't help but feel some emotions. Her own hatred was fueling the emotion in control, along with her regret, her pain, her sadness and her disappointment.

_I'm sorry._

Her eyes narrowed. Was he truly convinced that those words would convince her? She knew Jason never apologized, never regretted anything, but now it felt like those words were used against her, instead of meaning to give comfort, like they had the first time he said them to her. As if they would make her still feel all those things she felt for him before, instead of the guilt and regret that was consuming her mind.

_What feelings?_

His question made her snort. "Does it matter?" She asked, still glaring. "I thought we were supposed to be friends." The sky turned redder, but she didn't care anymore.

_This is the problem with all of you titans. You have this stupid sense of friendship and morality that just doesn't work in real life._

She stared up dully. "You're the stupid one here, Jason. You don't see how these negative emotions are consuming your life."

_I can't let the Joker win!_

His voice thundered across the land and she glared up. "He's already won."

_Stop that. I'm not changing my mind, love. This man deserves to die._

"What about Robin? Does he deserve it too?!"

_Yes! If he'd listened to me before, he wouldn't be in this situation!_

Her eyes narrowed again and she let out a frustrated breath. "And how did you know about it, Jason? How was it that you knew he would drink the venom?"

_You still doubt me._

The sky was redder than before but she kept her stance.

_I heard it from one of his goons, okay?!_

She snorted. "And what if you're lying!?"

_Believe what you want, Raven._

Raven… Not love. Just Raven.

_I know what I heard! I know what he- Shit._

The clouds above her stopped for a second and her eyes widened as she felt his fear, the sky erupting onto a bright red, and she had to cover her eyes from the brightness.

_A trap. That vicious clown…_

"What?" She gasped, unsure of what he meant.

_I'm going to kill him! I'm going to kill all those clowns until there isn't one left._

"JASON!"

…

"I'm going to kill him!" Screamed out the floating Rage as power left her body. A raven shaped shadow spread from her, expanding until it covered everything around her and random things exploded all about.

"Hey! I'm going to miss that!" Yelped out Beast Boy as the huge screen in the living room exploded among other things. His games! Okay, so maybe this wasn't the time to be thinking about that. But it certainly felt like the last straw. "That's it, Rae." He muttered to himself, "No more mister nice guy." The green man turned into a gorilla, jumping up at the girl. She hissed, her red eyes looking around frantic. Just like anyone in rage, her judgment wasn't the best, so she missed him as he jumped around the room and suddenly grabbed her ankle. He pulled her harshly, bringing her down to the ground with force.

"Ah!" She yelped in pain and he immediately turned back into his green persona, the voice sounding far too much like Raven's.

"Rae! I'm sorry! I didn't mean-"

"Fool!" The red Raven raised a hand and he was pushed back and slammed against the wall. As he was falling, furniture was thrown his way and he managed to turn into a bird and fly out of the way. He was never going to be able to hold Raven back like this. He was going to be worried he was going to hurt her. But what could he do? And where the hell was Cyborg?

…

Starfire stood in front of Robin's bed nervously. Batman's apprentice laid there as the beeping of his heart turned higher, he giggled desperately, his fingers clutching the sheets of his bed. It'd been a good thing Cyborg had been smart enough to keep him away from Raven, preparing for the girl to lose control. That _zorrgnarg_ Jason was going to pay as soon as she saw him, especially after what Cyborg had said, about the thief being the one who poisoned Robin.

She suddenly heard movement behind the door and she turned, her hands raised and threw green energy, breaking the door and pushing it backwards towards whom she thought was Raven

"Star! Chill! It's me!" Starfire's eyes glowed back to their normal green as soon as the door fell, lowering her hands as she saw whom it was.

"Friend Cyborg!" She said in surprise, taking a step closer to him. "The heart of Robin has been erratic in the last few minutes." Cyborg nodded, moving past her to do something at the computer in the room. The screen showed a picture of Robin's heart and it turned, allowing Cyborg to see the parts. Starfire blinked in confusion, taking a step closer to her friend. "Friend Cyborg?"

"We're getting an antidote" Said Cyborg and Starfire let out a breath, feeling the empty feeling inside her chest fill up again.

"That is wonderful news!" She said with tears in her eyes, she turned to Robin, who was still laughing but seemed to calm slightly as she touched his forehead. "Did you hear that, Robin? You are getting a cure!"

"It's not-" Cyborg started, turning to see the girl and then his human eye fell on Robin's. He was staring at him, still giggling, looking desperate. "We need to buy us some time, Rob." He said, speaking to the team leader, "I'm going to have something radical. But if Raven-" He let out a breath, "We need to trust Rave." Robin couldn't move but his eyes said everything and Cyborg nodded. "I'm going to have to sedate you further. It won't-" He sighed, "It's a risk to lower your heartbeat to such levels but, it won't be for long and it'll buy us some time." Robin laughed louder as he tried to speak but then settled back to giggling. Cyborg wasn't sure if he'd agreed or not but the bot was decided. "We just need to hold on for a few hours, man." And then, as an after thought he added, "Trust me." And his leader nodded with effort.

"Robin will be all right, yes?" Starfire asked with wide eyes and Cyborg forced a smile.

"Hey, Star. It's me! Of course he'll be alright." He turned his eyes back to the screen. Yes, Robin would be all right, if Raven didn't take more than a couple of hours to get the antidote. If not… He took a deep breath. No, he trusted the empath. Robin was going to be just fine.

…

"You are a fool."

_I don't expect you to understand._

Raven was panting as she felt her body weaken. His rage was consuming her and it seemed he was ignoring it. But she knew he could feel it, she could feel his regret and his guilt, but his rage and thirst for revenge were far stronger, and he was just so stubborn.

"You'll lose us both." She said and his guilt hit her again.

_You got yourself into this, Raven. You were the one-_

"When are you going to stop making excuses? Throw blame at everyone." She gritted her teeth as she fell back to the ground, his emotions running wild with every word she spat out.

_I didn't ask for this! _

His voice thundered again and it was now that she noticed she'd set something loose inside him, or was it the other way around? His guilt was all over the place, turning the red sky into a more orange one.

"This is your doing, Jason." She said sadly, "These are the consequences of your choices."

_You don't understand! I'm so close. Too close. I can taste it._

Her eyes narrowed, "Then you'll have to live with innocent lives in your conscience. Your brother's and mine."

…_You'll be fine. Your pet would never hurt you._

She stared up at the sky sadly. "Unlike you." And he didn't answer to that.

…

"GAH!" Beast Boy fell back onto the metal floor of the living room, now a mess. The couch was practically gone, along with the DVDs and video games. Not that he was keeping track. Raven was far too strong for him in this form. He needed something stronger. "Raven…" He struggled as he tried to stand up again. He needed something bigger. But what? A dinosaur would certainly hurt her, and the place was too small for him to do something useful with it. He jumped out of the way, falling on both legs and hands as he dodged another piece of furniture thrown at him. And again when something else was thrown, he couldn't make up what.

He needed something that could keep her controlled, but the giant squid proved to be no match for Raven. No. He needed something stronger and bigger, something able to hold her back without hurting her, like his human form, only bigger. His eyes widened. He needed… to be a man.

_Having that thing inside doesn't make you an animal. Knowing when to let it out is what makes you a man._

He closed his eyes tightly as he heard her words inside his head. He opened them again as her red eyes looked around frantically, confused, too absorbed in rage, almost like an animal. An animal like him. He understood, just for a second there, why Raven was always so controlled. This rage, this emotion surely was making her rash, unstable and it was hurting her in ways he was sure she would never recover…

"Forgive me, Rae." He whispered and he closed his eyes, letting his own rage take over. He thought about Robin yelling at him because he let his emotions run wild, telling him he needed to remember how he'd attacked Raven, when it hadn't even been him in the first place. He remembered Starfire forcing him to eat her horrible cooking. He remembered Cyborg eating all kinds of meat, right in front of him, teasing him. He thought of Raven's sharp tongue, calling him an idiot. Raven correcting his grammar all the damn time. Raven's cold stare. Raven hugging Red X.

His white eyes opened and he growled as his uniform tore around him, his size increasing. Funny how the person he loved the most was also the one who made him angry all the time, angry enough to take him over the edge. But he was going to protect her from herself.

The beast stood, roaring and the red Raven snarled back. For a moment there, they stared at each other and then, the beast jumped.

…

Cyborg ran upstairs, hurrying to help Beast Boy. He needed to reach Raven, needed to tell her to hurry up. Robin had just a few hours left and if she didn't get the antidote in time, he wasn't going to make it. He stopped suddenly, as he realized the roof had collapsed.

"What the hell?" He wondered out loud as he jumped over the mess to get to the door. Raven's powers certainly were destructive and he admired, not for the first time, how much control the girl usually needed to keep herself from destroying the place.

"BEAST-" Cyborg entered the room, suddenly stopping at the sight before him. There was the green beast, holding down the red Raven as he snarled down at her. Rage snarled right back, unable to get the huge the beast off her. Her hands glowed black but as soon as that happened the beast would raise its hands, holding the girl's wrists and slam her back onto the floor.

"BEAST BOY!" the half bot screamed out, "You're going to hurt her!" The beast turned to the new intruder and hissed like an aggressive cat, jumping, still holding the struggling emotion. So Cyborg raised his arm, now transformed into his blaster, but he didn't shoot. For a moment there, the two stared at each other, and the bot slowly lowered his arm. The beast wasn't attacking him, but he was keeping his distance.

"LET ME GO!" Screamed out Rage, kicking and struggling, but the beast turned to her and roared directly to her face, glaring, and Cyborg almost thought it looked comical. The giant beast was… scolding her?

…


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14. Change of heart.**

Raven stared up at the sky, her expression stoic as always, almost bored. She inhaled and exhaled as best she could, feeling her body tired, heavy, unlike before where it'd only felt weak.

"I can't move." She said up to the sky, her arms by the side of her head. Every time she tried raising her arms some force would push her down again and, even when she didn't even try, she would feel her back slam against something, not hard enough to actually do damage, but roughly enough to stop her from trying. She sighed, glaring up at the sky. The odd thing was she felt a sudden calm, the warmth she'd felt before spreading all over her, giving her enough strength to keep arguing with the intruder in her head.

"This is all your fault." She scolded, glaring up at a random cloud among the red sky, as if it was the one at fault.

_I know._

The voice inside her head thundered around her, even if the words had been whispered. She huffed, blowing some stray hair out of her face. She was feeling helpless again, dull inside, as if accepting her fate. Something out there had left her powerless. At least when rage had been around, she felt the world around her move, her mind being a turmoil of emotions. Now? Now it was an odd combination of that turmoil with the helplessness she never wanted to feel again. At least she had that warmth.

"Robin's going to die, Jason."

_I know._

She glared up at the sky as he repeated the same words as before. "Do you even feel remorse?" She heard him snort and she let out a breath, trying to calm her own rage. "Your brother needs you and you leave town to play avenger."

_You don't understand._

"I do, Jason. What I don't understand is… why now? Why at this moment when he needs you the most, you have to go and deal with it." He felt quiet but she felt his struggle.

_I can't talk to Bruce, Raven. He'll take me to jail. And the Xenothium-_

She glared up at the sky. "And that's more important than your brother? Than me?"

_Are you making me choose between my freedom, justice and the girl I'll never have?_

His words almost shocked her, but her anger toward him was too great to even consider it. He'd broken every promise, every hope she'd had for him to a point she could never recover from.

_I can't. I need to do this. I HAVE TO._

…

Cyborg jumped back, his arm extended as he pressed his back against the wall, behind the kitchen counter. The place was a mess, but at least his kitchen seemed to still be working. "B, come on. You'll end up hurting her." He tried calling but the green beast stared at him with wide eyes as he held the red Raven from her wrists, shaking her like a rag doll. He snarled then as the half robot pointed his arm at him and Cyborg was forced to lower his arm again. He couldn't risk Raven. He couldn't risk losing two members of the family and, considering the time she was taking, Robin was never going to make it. "Three hours tops…" He muttered to himself.

The beast moved the girl, pressing his head closer to her and Rage snarled at him. He ignored her glare and her snarl as he took a deep breath, sniffing her thoroughly, and his nose close to her neck. He growled then, baring his teeth at her. Cyborg moved, paying close attention to the beast, waiting for it to attack the girl, but the beast let itself fall on it's butt, sitting on the floor like a dog, still holding the girl up.

"You impudent-" she'd started talking but the beast growled right at her face again, looking almost grumpy. He shook her, making her body wiggle from side to side. It almost appeared like a little kid playing with a rag doll. "STOP!" She yelled out, her eyes going black. Before the beast knew it, furniture was throw his way and he had to duck his head, pulling the girl to his hairy chest, protecting her with his body. The girl wiggled, trying to get away, but her body was too weak and the beast too strong. Once the furniture fell to the ground in pieces, the beast looked sideways, checking nothing else would come his way and then fumed down at the girl, huffing through his nostrils.

"Easy there, B." Warned Cyborg, still unsure whether he should get closer or not, but the beast grunted again, turning to him for a second and then growled down at the emotion. He leaned down, once more, sniffing the girl, pressing its gigantic face against the girl's side, taking a deep breath and then sat back down, still holding her arms.

Cyborg sighed in relief, staring at the two creatures. It was so odd. The beast was acting like a playful monkey, still huffing, still of impressive size, but calm enough to hold Rage and… play with her? Scold her? He wasn't sure.

"You're crazy, B." He muttered but the beast ignored him since he wasn't going to attack him. And was it him or the emotion appeared to be… weaker?

…

"Robin's going to die."

_You said that already._

"And it'll be your fault."

_Blame me all you want, love. I'm not going to help him. I have a mission._

She snorted, glaring up at the sky. "Some mission. You'll kill a man while losing everyone dear to you."

_I don't have anyone 'dear' to me._

"Not even me?" It was said in her usual monotonous banter voice, but Jason didn't answer to it. Instead,

_You're pushing it._

"You're in Gotham, Jason. You can help him. Help me."

_You'll be fine._

"I'll never be fine, being the cause of Robin's death."

_That'll be the Joker._

"I failed, Jason."

_You- UGH. You're trying to make me feel guilty, love. That's not-_

"I'm not trying to make you feel anything. You're doing that all on your own."

_I can't look back now, love. A life for a life._

"A life for three lives, more likely."

_What?_

"And I doubt Robin will get a trip to Lazarus Pit. Not only that, but if I don't break our bond, I'll never be able to return to my body. Even now, it feels weak."

_Love…_

"He'll stay dead. I'll stay dead." She felt the earth shake below her and she knew Jason's emotions were in chaos.

_I can't let Bruce catch me, love. _

Raven smirked up at the sky. "And you call yourself a thief." The clouds above her stopped moving, as well as the earth below her.

_What are you suggesting?_

"Robin needs the antidote. I'm sure a thief like you could easily get inside the Batcave and get it out without even Batman noticing."

_Love…_

"You know the layout, know the entrances."

_That's the dumbest idea ever._

"You're considering it. I can feel it. Your ego won't let you slip this away."

_I hate you…_

"You love me." And he didn't answer, once again, at her teasing. What she did feel was a shift in his emotions and she slowly felt her consciousness slowly return.

_This means nothing._

"It means the world, Jason."

_I'll return. I'll get my revenge._

"For now, saving Robin is enough." For a moment there, everything went still. There was no more struggle, no more rage, no more pain, just silence.

_Hang in there, love._

And she closed her eyes, feeling her conscious self return to her body.

…

Raven groaned in pain as she tried opening her eyes but her vision was covered by something… green? What? She spat out hair from her mouth and tried pushing again whatever was holding her far too tightly. Was this-?

"Gar?" she gasped, looking up as she managed to bend her spine enough. Her arms were still being held tightly and she couldn't move much, but she managed to look up at the beastly face. Her eyes widened.

"Welcome back, Rave." She blinked and turned as she heard Cyborg's voice from her right. She almost didn't recognize the place as it was torn apart.

"What- what happened?" she asked and her voice sounded weak even in her ears. She really was losing her strength.

"You went all psycho on us, that's what happened." Cyborg said, crossing his arms. She still couldn't see him but from his tone, she could hear he was still angry. "Beast Boy here took one for the team." She looked up in confusion, only seeing green. But the beast must've sensed her because it raised her by the arms and she groaned in pain as she felt her shoulders crack at his roughness. She stared into the beast's white eyes and gasped.

"Careful." Said Cyborg as he raised his arm again, making the beast turn its attention to the half robot again and growl loudly. "He won't turn back. I've been calling him for half an hour. He's gone." Explained the oldest titan, lowering his arm once the beast let Raven's arms rest again, not pulling at them anymore. He lowered his face to smell the girl again. For a moment there, Cyborg thought he was going to snarl, like he'd been doing the last half hour, but this time the beast whimpered like a dog.

"Oof." Raven's air was suddenly pulled from her when the beast suddenly pressed its head against her chest, rubbing against her like a cat. "What the-" Cyborg almost laughed, despite the gravity of the situation.

"I think he likes you." Raven didn't answer to that, since she knew her teammate had meant that as a joke. Instead, as the beast rubbed its face against her, she moved her arms, urging him to let her go. He did, but only to surround her with his huge arms and snuggle against her again. He truly was like a kitten. "Don't tell me he's purring." Added the half bot and the empath glared at him. The beast was indeed purring as it held Raven closer and Cyborg laughed easily, earning a grunt from the cuddly beast.

"I'm going to kill Beast Boy when he comes back." Muttered Raven in embarrassment, trying to push the beast away, but it only tightened its grip around her.

"Well, he'd been trying to keep you safe from the start, right? Can't blame the kid for that." Said Cyborg lightly and he leaned back against the half torn counter, his expression turning serious. "Rob's dying, Rave." Raven sighed.

"Jason's coming. He'll bring the antidote." The other titan raised his human eyebrow.

"And if he doesn't?" Raven stared down at the creature on her lap, leaning back as its grasp tightened and she let out a breath as it squeezed her too hard. "Then- ugh." She pushed the beast as best as she could and it lessened its grip again, grunting in response. "Then I heal Robin." Cyborg shook his head.

"I told you I'm not letting you do that."

"And I told you it's not your call." Even though her voice was as stoic as ever and her attention focused on the beast keeping her close, Cyborg could detect her annoyance.

"If you heal Robin you'll die, Rave. I'm not allowing it." She sent him a glare.

"This is my fault. The right thing to do-"

"Robin would never forgive you if you do it." Raven sighed, knowing he was right.

"I won't have to. Jason is coming." The beast seemed to growl at the mention of the thief and tightened its grip around the empath.

"I hope you're right."

…

Starfire sighed as she stared down at her lover, hugging herself and feeling helpless. She'd heard the fight above her, unsure if she should go help out or stay here with Robin. But Cyborg had given her an order and, wasn't Cyborg in charge when Robin was down? She wasn't sure… She took a step closer toward the bed, sitting down by Richard and grabbing his hand, squeezing tightly.

"I miss you." She whispered, staring down at his face. He was asleep, the beeping machine going ever so slowly. She wasn't sure what Cyborg had done to him, but it seemed at least it gave him some peace. And he'd promised it; Robin was going to get better. He'd said so, right? That Raven was going to make it all better. "When this is over, I will ask you to go out on the dates." She said with more confidence and smiled down at him. "And I will ask you to tell me all about your past endeavors." She sighed, leaning forward and kissing his forehead. At least, the sweat was gone. "And you will tell me all about the one called the Babs and the Batman." She closed her eyes, her lips still pressed against his forehead; savouring the time she had left with him. But then, a beeping sound made her straighten her back and she looked around. Hadn't Cyborg disconnected the alarm?

She let go of Robin's hand, moving toward the noise. There, on the table, was Robin's communicator, placed there by herself when he'd been brought to the healing room. "How strange." She said to herself as she leaned over the communicator with a frown. The alarm was disconnected, so this had to be a call. But everyone Robin called was busy, so who could it be. She picked it up, flicking it open and gasped as she saw a familiar face.

…

Raven had started to absentmindedly pet the beast's fur, much to its pleasure. It purred, its eyes closed tightly and a smile on its face. She was amused at how much as a pet he acted. Maybe Jason hadn't been that mistaken when she gave Beast Boy that name. She winced, feeling awful for thinking that.

"Did you really live with that prat for a week?" The voice was stiff, and she raised an eyebrow at the man she considered her older brother.

"Don't tell me you're jealous." She said with a smirk and he let out a breath, crossing his arms and looking at her sternly.

"I'm just protecting my baby girl." She rolled her eyes at the caring tone but he quickly lost the playful grin he'd given her. "I'm not joking, Rave. That guy means trouble. He sucks more than that goth kid you used to date." She frowned, staring down at the beast on her lap as it tightened its grasp on her, as if it knew what they were talking about. In fact, she had a suspicion it did, considering the waves of protectiveness and jealousy she was getting. Pure and raw, with all control from Beast Boy gone.

"You never did like him." She muttered.

"None of us did." He leaned back on the kitchen counter, staring at the two. He knew he wasn't the only one protective of the empath, since Beast Boy had been as interested in her relationships as he had. Hadn't he been the one who spied on her when they went out, just to tell Cyborg all about it? In his mind, they were just being good brothers. "How did you manage to convince the thief anyway?" She smirked.

"I stroke his ego." Cyborg's eyebrow raised and she rolled her eyes. "I mean literally." She explained before he could joke about it. "I told him he could steal the antidote from the Batcave." Cyborg snorted.

"Man has to be crazy to attempt that." He said, but Raven didn't change her stoic expression.

"Exactly."

"It still doesn't make it right." He added and Raven sent him a glare. "I know you like 'im and all, Rave. All I'm saying is-"

"I know what you're saying." She huffed, blowing stray hair away from her face. "What I wonder is why everyone keeps saying the same thing."

"Uh, because it's true." She glared at him again and he raised his hands. "Hey, just callin' it as we see it. You have it bad." She turned her eyes back to the beast on her lap. He was purring as he opened its white eyes and stared up at her with a satisfied grin. She smiled back gently.

"You have no idea what I'm feeling." she muttered and Cyborg raised his human eyebrow.

"We never do, Rave. That's why you have to tell us." She sighed again and the half bot noticed just how tired she seemed. "You okay, Rave?" He asked, standing up. But the sudden movement caught the beast's eye and it growled at him, squeezing Raven tightly.

"I'm fine." She said with a gasp and she frowned down at the beast. "Stop." She ordered and the green creature turned to her, growling. It seemed to pout and return to its previous position, with its head buried against her front. Ugh. She placed her arms on its head as it grunted. She was so going to kill Beast Boy.

…

Steal from the Batcave. Easier said than done. Jason looked up at the sky. The dark city was illuminated all about and still managed to look dark. It was getting late. If he even managed to get back to Jump in time, using the transport would take at least two hours. He shook his head, rolling his eyes inside his mask. Women certainly made you do crazy things.

He jumped down a tree, knowing full well where he was going. It seemed like Bruce never truly got grasp of what he, Jason, was capable to do, never even changing the location of the Batcave. What if he decided that it was okay to tell others who he was? Was this a matter of trust or idiocy? Jason looked up at the sky, hoping there would be a bright sign on the sky. There wasn't. Jason sighed in frustration. Of course, the ONE night he needed the bat out of his cave, the damn city decided to take a vacation. He needed to get him out of there. He needed- Oh.

As if on cue, the water in front of him stopped running and it opened, showing a massive black car. "Doing some rounds, Bruce?" Muttered Jason to himself as he saw the car run as fast as it could and into the city. Jason followed it with his eyes, feeling his chest suddenly tighten. How much time had it been since he last rode that car? How many years ago had it been since he stole those tires? He smirked to himself at the memory. Only he would be stupid enough to try something like that. He shook his head, trying to get back to the mission at hand and jumped down, already moving to the entrance. Bruce wouldn't be stupid enough not to take him off the list, right? Jason placed his thumb against the pad at the entrance and it opened once again, much to his surprise.

"Ha. What an idiot."

…

Raven tried to keep her eyes open. She slowly felt her power diminish. She couldn't even push away the beast that seemed to be rather fond of her chest. "I'm really going to kill you when I get my powers back." She muttered, closing her eyes for a second and taking a deep breath. At least his touch was covering her in the same warmth as before and she wondered, just for a second there, if those were his emotions or the fact that his fur made him physically warm.

"You okay, girl?" Asked Cyborg as he stared at her sternly. She opened her eyes, unable to look up at him.

"I'm fine." She answered, though even in her ears she knew it sounded like a terrible lie. The half bot snorted, looking away from her.

"You're getting weaker, Rave." He said, far too lightly for how he was truly feeling.

"I just need to wait for Jason. He'll come. Everything will be okay." Cyborg snorted.

"Why do you have so much faith in that thief?" Raven smiled down at the beast on her lap, peeking up at her curiously.

"I don't know, Cyborg." She said bitterly, "Why did you all trust a demon?" He sighed.

"It's not the same Rave." She stared down in deep thought.

"You told me when we first met that I 'fit in just fine' among you." She explained and then looked up at him. "What makes me so different from him?" Cyborg rolled his human eye.

"He's a criminal."

"And I'm a demon." She said immediately after and he could almost see her point. "Why is it acceptable that I can do good but it's impossible for him to do the same?" The half bot didn't know how to answer and he looked out at the window, crossing his arms.

"You've proven yourself." He said after some struggle. "Every time your demon side appears, you prove you can be better. He hasn't done that."

"Yet." She added. "Now it's his chance." Cyborg fell quiet again, not knowing what to say, since what she'd said actually sounded right.

…

Jason entered the place, walking slowly inside. It was just as he remembered it, with the bats shrieking above him, the computers on the side and the ridiculous amount of gadgets all about. One thing in particular caught his attention though and he walked right up to it. There, next to Bruce's desk, were three glass tubes, each showing a different uniform, displayed as if they belonged in a museum. First was Robin's first uniform, looking too small for it to be suitable for anyone older than 10 years. He snorted, already knowing about this one. Then there was batgirl's uniform and he couldn't help the deep regret he felt when he saw it. And next… next was his. He placed a hand on the glass, staring at his old uniform.

"That's a ridiculous suit." He told to himself, staring at the bright coloured uniform, "At least it wasn't as gay as Dick's." He sighed, pushing against the glass to turn away. No need to dwell. This was his past, now he had more pressing matters to attend.

He moved to the desk, easily login into the system and frowning, as he wasn't even required a password. It was almost like Bruce knew. Jason gritted his teeth. Of course he knew. He easily found the antidote, and the machine next to him presented it to him, a tiny glass tube with a purple liquid in it. It didn't even look that impressive. Jason flipped the solution casually on the air, catching it with one hand again. It still bothered him to know Bruce had SOMEHOW known he was there, trying to save Grayson. Now he needed to get back to Jump. He turned, something catching his eye and he grinned behind his mask. Well, it seemed the bat hadn't thought of everything.

…

"Why won't he transform back?" Muttered Raven as she weakly pushed the beast. It didn't even budge, only purring as if the pushing had been part of the petting. Cyborg shrugged, already sitting by the counter and the empath sent him a glare. "You seem too calm."

"I'm more worried about you than I am about him." Answered the bot, "You can barely keep your eyes open, Rave."

"I'm fine." She muttered again, unable to raise her voice further. The fight had left her exhausted. "I'll just heal myself." Cyborg nodded all too wisely and she frowned, knowing he had yet another smart remark. She wasn't wrong.

"Haven't you been doing that for the past… what? Two weeks?" She sighed, hating that he was so smart. "You're tired, Rave. You can't keep doing that without getting some brain damage."

"I said I'm fine."

"And I say you're not." He retorted, before looking down at his wrist. "Two hours…" He muttered to himself and she raised an eyebrow.

"What?" she asked in a low voice and he sighed, moving his leg nervously.

"Robin has two hours." She looked down at the beast on her lap, currently purring as her hands moved against the fur.

"He'll be here." she whispered and the beast tightened his grip, as if he knew who she was talking about.

"You said that an hour ago." Cyborg sighed, leaning forward, looking exhausted as well. It reminded Raven that he wasn't the pillar she always thought he was. He was human… well, as human as a half-bot could be. He still needed rest, could still feel despair and, from the waves she was getting from him, panic.

"Cyborg?" she asked in a low voice and he turned to grin at her, despite the emotions he was portraying. Raven stared at his expression, as light and burden free as ever, even if his human half seemed tired.

"What's up, girl?" She stared at him stoically and he sighed, looking down. The bot had always been difficult to read, considering his emotions weren't felt all over, but just on his human parts. It was difficult to place the waves of emotion she felt, but she had a good idea why he was feeling like that. "I failed." He said and she shook her head.

"We're all still here." He snorted.

"Barely." He sent her a glare and she raised her eyebrows, now realizing why he'd been such a jerk to her since she got back to the tower. He'd been worried about her well being, actually hurting that she would leave and place herself in danger.

"I'm sorry." She said after a moment of staring in silence and he gave her a sad smile.

"There." He said lightly and she placed the wave of emotion coming from him as regret. "Was that so hard?" She smiled back and then turned to the beast on her lap as it grunted, apparently not liking that she was giving her attention to another. "Seems he missed his little sister." Said Cyborg lightly, referring to the beast on her lap, and Raven turned to him.

"I'm not his sister." She muttered and the half bot shrugged.

"Well, you sort of are." Raven didn't explain further as she knew the warmth she felt from the beast were not feelings of brotherhood. Cyborg stared at her as she gently caressed the green fur and a random thought hit him, a stupid, silly, completely irrational thought. What if those two-? His thoughts were interrupted as a loud noise started shaking the tower. "What the hell?!" He said, standing up and then noticed it. On the window, far too close for comfort, was a plane. And not just any plane. The Batwing? "Is that-?" Raven smiled at the window, raising an eyebrow.

"Jason." She said with a smirk and stared as the cockpit opened, showing them the masked man. He saluted them and then turned his attention back to the plane.

"_You took your time."_

_Funny story, love. I don't know how to park this thing._

The empath's eyes widened as she saw him standing from the cockpit, as he intended to… jump?

"_What?" _

_Yeah. Can't park this, so… Back up._

Back up?! She looked from the window back to the beast on her lap. She tried moving but the beast was too big, too heavy and she was too weak to use her powers. "Beast Boy?!" She tried calling him as she pushed, but the beast merely grunted.

"What is-?" Started Cyborg as he saw the plane come closer.

"Look out!" Raven yelled out and the half bot jumped back as the plane hit the window with one wing, breaking what was left of the glass.

_This is hilarious. _

"_You're sick." _

She saw the glass fall over her, but suddenly she was covered in fur. The beast had leaped to her rescue, shielding her with his body. She heard movement, the tower moaning as the plane hit the side, and then a crash on water. Had he- Had he really-?

"Now." Said Jason lightly as she moved away from the green beast to stare at him in shock. He was wearing his mask, but she could tell he was smirking and she glared at him. "You can't say I don't know how to make a good entrance."

"Wha-" Cyborg peeked over the counter, looking around at his precious tower. There was glass all over the place, not to mention everything the beast and Raven had destroyed before. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" He screamed out at the thief, finding it much easier to get mad at him than at his little brother and sister. Red X regarded him sardonically.

"You're welcome?" He said sarcastically as he pulled out a test tube, he played with it, throwing it up and catching it with his hand. "I thought you wanted thi- WOAH!" He caught the tube again and jumped backwards as a large fist slammed the floor where he'd been standing. "What the hell is that thing?" Raven let out a breath, kneeling on the ground as she found she couldn't stand any longer. The beast had suddenly jumped to attack Jason growling and snarling as he tried to get the thief again.

"That's B." Said Cyborg with a smirk, "And I don't think he likes you." Raven sent him a glare as this wasn't a matter to be joking about.

"Cyborg! Save Robin!" She urged him and Red X jumped away from the beast again.

"Catch!" He said, throwing the tube at the half bot, who easily caught it. "Go save the kid, bot. I can handle the pe-GAH!" The beast managed to get hold of his cape and growled dangerously as he brought him closer to its face, baring it's fangs.

"Robin, right!" Cyborg said, throwing a glance at Raven who was looking down. "Rave…"

"Just go, Cyborg." She said tiredly and the half bot nodded before running away from the scene.

Red X stared after the bot helplessly as he realized he wasn't going to get any help. "Love?" Raven sighed.

"I- I can't- I need to break the bond, Jason… I can't." She said, trying to stand up. The beast growled again, and threw the thief at the other side of the room. Red X slammed against the wall and fell unceremoniously onto the floor. He groaned as he tried to stand up and turned to see with wide eyes as the enraged beast took a step closer to the empath.

"RAVEN!" He yelled out, stretching out a hand. The beast lowered its fangs near the girl who just winced as it snarled at her and then, it bit. "No!" But Red X raised his eyebrows as he realized the beast hadn't bitten down the empath, but merely grabbed her cloak, raising her up in its teeth, making her move like a rag doll. "What is-?"

"He's trying to protect me." She said, trying to move helplessly. "And I'm really going to kill Beast Boy when this is over…" He was treating her like a doll, like a dog would its toy and she didn't like it one bit. The beast growled at the thief again, rounding him as if he was a prey and Jason stood slowly, as if trying not to spook it. He raised his hand as if in peace offering.

"Easy there, pet. I don't want to hurt you." Raven sighed tiredly.

"You don't understand." she mumbled as Jason took a step back when the beast growled at him again.

"_He's the one who wants to hurt you."_

And the beast jumped toward the thief.

…

Cyborg ran toward Robin's room, clutching the antidote tightly. As he reached the door, he noticed Starfire was talking to someone… Robin? He frowned.

"I understand." She was saying, her voice muffled from the other side and he raised his human eyebrow. "But he would not open his eyes." The other voice answered but it was too faint for him to pick up. "When he is ready. He will… Yes. I will join him."

The half boot shook his head and pressed the button to open the door. When it did, the noise made Starfire jump, and she quickly turned, hiding something behind her back.

"Star?" wondered Cyborg as he moved toward the table next to Robin, already pulling out a syringe. "Whatcha got there, Star?" He asked teasingly and she blushed deeply, flying toward him.

"It is not for me to reveal." She said nervously and Cyborg grinned at her as she peered at what he was doing.

"Is that-?" she started and the half bot nodded.

"Robin's antidote? Why yes it is." He turned, proving the dosage to Robin. "And this will make it all better."

The two titans peered down at the smiling face of their leader and waited.

_Come on, Rob. Come on, come on, come on._

Starfire covered her face with both hands, not wanting to see if the effects were the opposite of what they should be. "Is it functioning correctly?" She wondered and Cyborg let out a breath. Slowly, very slowly, Robin's features started to relax and Cyborg grinned down at him, turning at the screen showing his vitals. He was weak, but he was well. Alive.

"See for yourself, Star." He said lightly, crossing his arms and Starfire looked down at her lover. Robin let out a breath in his sleep and his face was as always, handsome and relaxed.

"Robin!" She squealed in excitement, moving to hug him tightly, and the machine next to him started beeping loudly.

"No! Star! You're choking him!" Hurried the older titan, moving to get her to stop her hug.

…

The beast slowly placed her on the floor and she sighed as she felt the cold metal against her back. She was getting tired, too tired.

"Jason." She called, making the beast growl again and place itself between the thief and the empath. "I need you to come closer. I need to break the spell."

"Tell that monster that." He replied back, trying to stand up as he winced. The thing had sharp claws, not only that, but his speed and strength were beyond something that big and wild. "I'm not joking, love. That thing isn't letting me go anywhere near you. Can't you just tell him to sit or something?" Raven would've rolled her eyes if she weren't this tired.

"He's not a dog." She said instead and the beast howled before jumping at Jason again.

"Could've fooled me!" Jason jumped out of the way again as the beast's fists slammed the couch into pieces. As if it hadn't been trashed enough. It snarled aggressively at the thief and he leaned back against a table.

"So this is how I die, eh?" He said lightly, "If I'd known this I wouldn't have come."

"_Yes, you would've."_

Again the beast jumped to get him, pushing him backwards and trying to keep a distance between him and Raven.

"This thing likes you!" Jason said in amusement, and moved away as the beast tried to grab him again.

"_It's still Garfield."_

"Yeah. Wanted to talk to you about that." He ducked as the beast made a move to grab him, only making Jason almost trip with a piece of metal. "What kind of name is 'Garfield' anyway?" The beast snarled again, suddenly twisting and grabbing the thief by the leg. "Dammit!"

"_I happen to like it." _

He was thrown to the wall and he crashed against some light, making him groan in pain. He fell to the floor again, but still tried to stand up, feeling his knee crack. "Why is it always the damn knee?"

"Jason- I-" She sighed, closing her eyes, feeling her mind starting to wander, "I need…"

"Yeah, yeah. You said it already. Just put a leash on this thing or something." He grunted again, trying to walk toward the empath, and the beast growled again, jumping backwards. It glared at the thief as it saw him coming, suddenly grabbing the girl on the floor and holding her with both arms. Raven was lost in a sea of green fur.

"Jason…" She gasped, stretching out an arm over the furry arms and the beast growled, hugging her closer, his arms tightening around her, keeping her from reaching out properly. "Beast Boy, please. You have to let me-" The beast snarled down at her and she felt his emotions running wild through their contact. Jealousy was pouring out of him like sweat, clouding his other emotions, particularly his love, his possessive nature taking over the gentler one in desperation. "Bea- Garfield…" She tried; watching Jason slid closer and the beast hadn't done much to stop him. "I need- I just need to break the spell." The beast grunted in response, its white eyes narrowing at the thief, fixed on him like a lion's gaze on a prey. "Gar…" She said, looking up at the green face and the beast lowered its gaze to stare at the girl in its arms, and she reached out to place a hand on its face. "Please…" The beast slowly let her go, and she fell on her knees with a thud. Jason kept going closer and she leaned forward, one hand stretched out, glowing black.

"Love…" He said, sending a careful look at the beast, which was still staring at him with dangerous eyes.

"He won't hurt you." She said, her arm stretching out as far as she could since she sensed Jason's fear.

_I'm not scared._

"_Yes, you are."_

The thief gritted his teeth as his knee hurt him like crazy, but still took that one last jump toward the empath and she smiled. He stared at her, lost for a moment, as he almost never saw such a pure expression on her face.

"Thank you for coming back." She said, and pressed her hand against his face. For a moment there, he thought it was just a caress, since he felt the same lightness as before, but then she pulled her hand away and, as if she'd been grabbing his brain, she pulled a raven shaped dark shadow from his head, before collapsing backwards as the shadow disappeared into her hand.

"Raven!" He called, trying to catch her. But then he turned his face up as a loud growl caught his attention. "Woah-" Apparently, the beast thought Jason had hurt her, and he was standing far too close. "I didn't-" Too late. The beast knocked its claw against the thief, and everything went black.

…


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15. Tying threads. **

Jason groaned as he woke up, his eyes fluttering at the bright light right on top of him. The memories of the previous day flickered through his mind and he sat up hurriedly, looking around. Where was that green bastard? Where was Raven? This was a place he hadn't been to before, with monitors and white beds. Where the hell was he? He turned to see Raven resting on one of the beds, with a green sleeping dog at the bottom of the bed, just by her legs. He snorted, bitterly staring at the picture. She had such bad taste…

"You're awake." He almost jumped as he heard the voice, turning to find his older brother walking toward him, the light showing him as he slowly appeared from the shadows.

"You've got to stop doing that." Muttered Jason, his hand going up to his face, noticing his masks were gone. He turned to smirk at Dick, his hand dropping back down to his lap. "I see I'm not tied down. That was a bad idea." Robin stared at him, his expression unchanging.

"You're not a prisoner." he said and Jason's eyes widened in surprise, but was still smirking.

"What? Now we're supposed to be friends?" Robin's eyes narrowed.

"I don't think we'll ever be friends, Jason. But you did save my life. You were doing the right thing for the wrong reasons."

"And what reasons may those be?"

"Revenge." Jason could've laughed.

"You're such a goody two shoes."

"And you're an ass." Robin replied with a smirk of his own and Jason laughed this time.

"Who knew you had it in you, 'bro'." But then his laughter died and Jason groaned, feeling his head throbbing. "So, are you going to tell me what happened or am I going to have to leave curious?" Robin sighed, throwing a glance behind him, where the other patient was laying, before turning back to his brother.

"We found you unconscious. Beast Boy… ah." He wasn't sure if the thief would resent him. "Cyborg got you out of it. It wasn't a problem. We repaired your knee and there wasn't any more damage. You should be glad. He…" Robin frowned, "He could've done a lot worse. I think he controlled himself." Jason rolled his eyes.

"Wasn't a problem. Control himself." He repeated in disbelief, trying to mimic Richard's serious voice. "You should have that thing caged." Robin frowned, but said nothing of it. Jason was entitled to his rage, considering how bad he'd been when Cyborg found him. The thief sighed, rubbing his head, still frowning and hating the green man. But then he remembered someone else he hated and the headache grew stronger. "Bruce knew I was in the cave."

"He did?" Robin's face didn't seem surprised, and it didn't change as he thought of something else. "Cyborg said you arrived in the Batwing." and Jason smirked.

"I stole it." He said proudly and Robin raised an eyebrow.

"Out of the Batcave."

"Yeah."

"And then crashed it against the tower and into the sea." Jason almost laughed as his brother started to smile as well.

"Yup." This time, Robin chuckled.

"He's going to be mad." Added the oldest brother with mirth, and his words only made Jason's smile widen.

"I know." And, for a moment there, both brothers felt their relationship slightly heal. "He didn't take me off the list." Added Jason as an after thought, and Robin lost his smile as well. "Still had my uniform and everything."

"He always hoped you would come back." And the thief snorted at the thought. As if he ever would.

"He'll wait all his life." And Robin nodded.

"He will." For a moment there, silence fell on them. Jason glared down at his hands on his lap, feeling his chest tighten. But then Jason's eyes flickered toward the girl laying on the bed behind Robin and sighed, his mind going back to the present.

"Is she alright?" Robin turned to stare at the pair on the opposite bed.

"Raven's strong. Her mind has to heal itself before she can heal her body, so we're expecting her to sleep for a while. "

"And the pet?" Robin raised an eyebrow at his interest in Beast Boy, but chose to not mention it.

"He's fine. His body adapts and heals quickly enough. We were more worried about you. He did a number on you." Jason nodded and leaned back onto the pillow, looking up at the ceiling.

"So what now? You're not taking me to jail or that pretty glass prison of yours?" asked Jason, making Robin turn to him again.

"Now you make a choice. You either join us or you leave." Jason turned to him with wide eyes. Neither brother noticed the green dog's ear rising in surprise.

"What?" Robin smiled.

"We have an empty room, if you want it. We could always use a titan with your abilities and I… I could always use a brother." Jason rolled his eyes.

"The Joker's venom must've given you brain damage." Robin shook his head.

"I know it's odd, but you've proven that, while your methods are unorthodox-"

"I'm not a hero." The man on the bed interrupted. "I don't do 'good' and I definitely don't do 'teams'." Robin nodded.

"I know, but if you wanted to-"

"I mean unless it was the girls."

"-You could always come back and-"

"I'll DO them." Jason was grinning as Richard stopped talking pursing his lips as he glared at his younger brother.

"Think about it."

"There's nothing to think about."

"Then you know I have to take the suit and the belt back."

"Only until I steal it again."

"You can try, but we'll be ready."

"I'll be gone before you notice it."

"Hmp. So you say." Robin rolled his eyes, turning to grab a chart. "Now, Cyborg said we needed to run some test as soon as you wok- Jason?" When he turned back to the bed, it was empty. "Dammit."

…

It took Raven a full two days to recover this time and when she did, she'd been greeted by three of her friends, though the two she'd been worried about the most weren't there.

"Jason recovered just fine." Robin had said when she asked for him, "Just a few scratches, but we managed to fix the knee. Might hurt him sometimes in cold days, but I assure you it won't stop him from giving us a hard time in the future."

So now the peaceful days started, or at least as peaceful as the world could be for a group of teenage heroes. Robin had let Raven rest for the next few days, letting her miss a couple of minor missions here and there. She wasn't that compelled in going out again, so she didn't complain. She'd missed her room and sleeping on a bed.

Today she was walking down the hallway, hugging a huge book on Azar mythology and looking forward to drink some herbal tea and maybe some breakfast, feeling far too happy to be back home, be back to her routine.

"Good mornin', Rave!" greeted Cyborg as soon as he saw her, grinning widely as he waved a spatula at her. Again with cooking duty; he never got tired of it. "Want some waffles?" She blinked in surprise before nodding, feeling giddy at the familiarity of the gesture.

"Yes, thank you." Her voice was low, as she turned around to gather the place. The windows that lead to the city were all broken, along the television and the couch. The table had marks of scratches, as if a giant cat had used it to sharpen its nails. And she knew well who that cat had been. Despite the glass and the broken furniture being cleaned up, she still felt awful about it. Although her expression was stoic, Cyborg could notice the guilt in her eyes, so the half bot raised his eyebrow and he dropped the spatula, crossing his arms and smirked knowingly.

"Want to talk about it?" She stared at him in surprise. And she was supposed to be the empath, but Cyborg was just such a good big brother to everyone, it was easy for him to notice some things, even if he remained oblivious to others.

"I'm just glad to be back home." She said in a monotonous voice, bringing out the kettle from the top shelf with her powers, standing next to him. "I'm just…" Her eyes returned to the scene for a moment, "Sorry."

"Well, it sure is great to have ya back, Rave. And don't worry about the place. It needed a change anyway." He turned back to cooking; standing right next to her, and she almost smiled at how much space the big robot took. He was barely a teenager anymore, being the oldest of the group, and he looked more like a fully grown man, so she placed her book on the counter to make more space for herself.

"I think you grew while I was gone." She said and Cyborg smiled cockily at her.

"Oh yeah. I had to increase some of the robotic parts, since they didn't fit comfortably with the human bits anymore. Whatcha think? Pretty hot, ah?" He flexed an arm and she rolled her eyes.

"You can hardly be proud of a body you made, rather than worked to get."

"Hey! I worked hard on this one." She raised an eyebrow, turning back to her kettle, but he was still talking. "I'm not the only one who grew these past days. Have you seen the Grass stain lately? The kid must be taller than you now." He peered at her sideways, wondering if it was okay for him to talk about the green man after what happened. "Speaking of which, Beast Boy was terrifying when you got all red. I'm glad he's back to normal. Well, as normal as he can get. Have you seen him? He seems to be out of it." Raven looked down.

"I might be the one who caused that." Cy sighed, as she couldn't control the sadness in her tone, turning fully to her and with huge finger under her chin to keep her from staring at the floor, he brought her face back up. "I believe he's avoiding me." She added, her stoic voice cracking, letting him turn her but still avoiding his eyes.

"Hey, don't look so sad. He did what he had to do."

"I almost killed you both."

"But you didn't. And it wasn't you. That was Rage, Rave." She shook her head and his hand dropped. "Hell, it wasn't even yours to begin with."

"I knew what was happening. I allowed Jason's hatred consume me and-"

"And you won. The prat's fine. You're fine. Robin's fine. We're all fine. What's the problem?" She narrowed her eyes as she stared down at the floor again.

"I'm just not sure if I did the right thing." Cyborg smiled gently.

"Of course you did, kiddo. You always do the right thing. It's what you do. Our moral compass and all that crap." She raised an eyebrow, smiling bitterly but her eyes did move to him again.

"Very eloquent." She said sarcastically and he shrugged,

"Bad wording doesn't make it any less true." She smiled sadly but it didn't last long, and she lowered her gaze to the floor again. And Cy just didn't like seeing his little sister sad.

"Oh, come here." His huge arms pulled her in gently. She tensed for a moment but then let her face hide against his metallic chest.

"I'm sorry." Her voice cracked and he patted her back gently.

"It's okay, girl. We're all okay."

"You were right."

"No, I wasn't." He smiled down at her, "This is what you do, Rave. You find broken people and one way or the other you put them back together."

"Still, what you said-"

"Was wrong." He interrupted and placed a huge hand on her shoulder, "You did what you had to do, Rave." And she nodded, making him grin. For a moment there, neither spoke, with Raven still pressing her forehead against his chest and him smiling gently, his gigantic hand on her tiny back.

"It wasn't Todd." He said finally, and she could hear the smile in his voice. She looked up with wide eyes and he grinned down at her. She looked like a little girl like that, though he was sure he would always see Raven as that tiny girl hiding away in the shadows, stepping back in fear others would hate her, the one he'd met years ago in that dark street. He resisted the urge to ruffle her hair like he did Beast Boy, knowing she wouldn't appreciate it as much. "Now, how about those waffles?"

…

"Dick?"

Robin looked up from his spot on his chair, noticing his girlfriend at the door, barely peeking inside his room. He smiled tiredly, extending a hand to her. "Hey, beautiful." He greeted her and she smiled bashfully, before flying toward him, her arms going immediately around him. He sighed, holding her closer, letting her sit on his lap. "It's over." He muttered and she leaned back to see his face. He looked older now, with the marks of the venom still on his face, around his mouth and under his eyes, but she'd been told those would vanish with time.

"You are alright?" she wondered, placing both hands on his cheeks and he laughed lightly.

"I'm fine, Kori. Just…tired. Very tired. I'm glad we're all okay." Star peered at him curiously.

"Will your brother be joining us?" He shook his head.

"No. I don't know where he went. And I sure as hell don't want to find out. He took his… my suit and the belt and all the Xenothium that was left." She titled her head slightly in wonder.

"And you want us to catch him, yes?" He shook his head, his arms sneaking around her waist to pull her closer.

"No. Let him be for now. Whatever Raven did to him was enough for him to grow a small conscience. Hopefully that'll be enough to keep him out of trouble." Starfire smiled, leaning down to kiss him. But then she leaned back as she remembered something she'd been meaning to tell him.

"You are a lot like the Batman. But you are not the same." His eyes widened in surprise, before letting out a slight laugh.

"I'm not sure if you mean that in a good or in a bad way." She looked pensive for a moment before answering.

"As wonderful and full of the 'badassery' Beast Boy speaks of Batman might have, he does not have your heart and understanding. Or your hope for criminal minds to repent. That is something he does not possess… entirely. You are better." His eyes widened, never really having anyone say something that great to him. But it also made him feel nervous.

"It's happened before." He said, thinking about repenting villains.

"Yes, like with friend Jinx."

"And Jason was a good kid before-" he gulped and stopped talking for a moment, not wanting to open that wound again, "He was always stubborn, but he was a good kid. I'm sure he'll make the right choice."

"And if he does not?"

"Then we'll be ready." She smiled, nodding, and leaned down to kiss his forehead.

"I spoke with the Batman." She said lightly and Robin pushed her back to look up at her face with wide eyes.

"What?" He asked dumbly and she smiled, pleased to see a reaction.

"I spoke with the Batman. For hours." She repeated lightly, placing her arms over his shoulders. "He wanted to know why your brother was back in Gotham when he had resided in Jump city for so long."

"He knew. Jason was right." Said Richard, leaning back, placing his arms around her waist.

"Yes." Kori agreed lightly. "I assume there is little he does not know, yes?" Dick almost smiled, but it came out as a wince. "I told him about you and the venom." Richard raised an eyebrow.

"You did?" He said lamely, as he hadn't wanted Bruce to see him weak.

"He said…" She lowered her eyes and then looked up at her lover again. "He said you are stronger than you appear. That I should not be… ah- the 'fooled by your size'?" Dick leaned back, covering his eyes with one hand in embarrassment.

"Of course he did." Starfire smiled.

"He also said we were to trust Jason." At that, Richard turned to her again, dropping the hand that had been hiding his eyes. "He said-" She looked up as she tried to remember, "Jason will save Robin. Do not worry." She said in her best Batman voice, which ended up sounding rough and creepy and then blinked again and turned her green eyes back to her lover. "He was right." Robin snorted.

"I bet he didn't think he would also steal the Batwing." He said lightly and Starfire moved to hug him closely, missing the joke.

"There is something else." She added and Robin turned his attention back to his girlfriend, raising an eyebrow.

"What is it?"

"He asked- ah…" She placed one finger on her chin as she tried to recall. "When is he going to come back?" Robin stared at her and she turned her gaze back to him. "I did not know the answer, so I told him 'When he is ready.'" Richard smiled.

"Good answer." Starfire grinned proudly.

"And I said 'He will bring me with him." She added and Robin blushed.

"You want to go with me?" The alien nodded.

"Of course."

"To Gotham?" Starfire grinned.

"That is the plan, no?" Richard sighed, staring for a moment before nodding and smiling.

"Sure. Why not?" And she beamed at him, leaning down to kiss him again.

"I missed you." She whispered against his lips and he smiled.

"I know. I'm sorry I scared you." And he kissed her again. But then she pulled away and looked down at him sternly. He raised his eyebrows in amusement at her sudden mood change. "What?"

"You have not finished talking about the one you call 'Babs'." Robin let out an awkward laugh.

"Oh." She gave him a half smile.

"Yes, the 'Oh'." She settled on his lap, finding a more comfortable position, crossing her arms stubbornly. "You may start now, please." Dick laughed lightly and then cleared his throat when she sent him a glare. "But first…" She smiled curiously at him, "Why did you not tell me you wore the- ah…" She placed a finger on her chin as she recalled what Batman had called it, "Scaly panties when you were younger?" Richard stared at her for an extra second.

"I'm going to kill him…" He'd so done that on purpose. Robin groaned as she peered at him curiously. Well, what were fathers for, if it wasn't for embarrassing their kids?

…

Raven entered her room after the nice meal. She took a deep breath, taking in the nice smell of incense and waffles mixed together. She smiled to herself, before letting herself fall backwards into her bed, eyes closed, relishing the cold blanket against her back. She stretched, fully enjoying herself. How many things had she taken for granted?

"Trying to tempt me, love?" Her eyes opened wide as she stared up at Jason. He was hiding on the top of her bed canopy, his arms and legs stretched out as he stared down at her. He was in his Red X costume, mask on, and she almost wished she could see his eyes again.

"I was worried." She told him and he let himself fall on bed with her. They both jumped and she sent him a glare as he laid next to her with his usual cocky attitude. She could almost see his playful smirk.

"Sorry, love. I've been busy." She turned to him, moving a hand up to remove his mask. He let her and, under it, he wasn't wearing his second one.

"Hey…" she whispered.

"Hey." He answered as her hand was pressed against the side of his face, lightly touching the scar over his left eye and he smiled, closing his eyes at the soothing touch. "I really love this trick." She gave him the ghost of a smile.

"I'm not doing anything." She said with raised eyebrows and he opened his eyes with a slight laugh, unable to think of anything witty to say.

They fell silent, enjoying each other's presence; just Jason letting her caresses soothe him.

"You broke your promise." She said, finally breaking the silence, and he sighed, having dreaded this conversation.

"Yeah, I do that." She nodded,

"But then you saved Robin." He grinned.

"Nothing like ambiguous morality, eh?" She didn't return the smile, so instead he changed the subject. "Have you been missing me inside that pretty head of yours?"

"No." He feigned a wound.

"Ouch, love. You do know where to hit a guy, don't you?"

"And you know how to hit a girl." He sighed and smiled sadly.

"I guess we're both messed up people."

"Yes." His grin widened at her answer.

"Perhaps we deserve each other?" She rolled her eyes.

"I wouldn't push it. You still broke my trust, your promises and almost killed my friends."

"Keyword: Almost. Besides, that actually was you. Not to mention your green boyfriend almost killed me."

"You made me lose control. And that made HIM lose control."

"Okay that I did. But not everyone is as good as you are at controlling their emotions. I think both the pet and I are proof of that." He was quiet for a moment and then added in a whisper, "I came back. You must know it was for you." She stared at him for a moment and he almost recoiled at the intensity of her gaze but didn't, mostly because that wasn't his style.

"I know." He smiled again and closed his eyes, turning his face toward her pillow.

"He doesn't deserve you." He added and, although his tone was playful, she could feel he was being serious. "I saw him holding you back. A possessive little pet, he is."

"He did what he needed to do." He opened his eyes and stared at her stoic face.

"I don't deserve you either." She almost smiled.

"That I agree with." He sighed and closed his eyes again. How long would it be until he got the chance to be near another human being? Hell, be on a bed? "You could stay, if you wanted to." She said and he opened his eyes again and smiled lazily.

"I thought the bond was broken already." She shrugged.

"You don't spend so much time with another person without-" He grinned,

"Falling for them?" and she glared at him.

"Learning how they think." She corrected and he smiled sadly.

"I can't stay here, love. Too many bad memories. Besides," he said with a playful smile, "I don't want to be here when you two get together. It'll break my poor, innocent heart." She snorted, knowing there was nothing innocent about him.

"What makes you think he'll have me?" He smiled sadly.

"Because as much as a fool as he is, I doubt he is THAT stupid." She snorted again.

"You'd be surprised." He laughed.

"So you believe he's stupid and yet you still want the guy." She turned, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the roof.

"He would've come right away. He-" she started but stopped when he shook his head.

"Don't. I don't want to know." And she nodded, understanding. So she changed the subject.

"I know it wasn't you who poisoned Robin." He grunted.

"Took you long enough to figure it out." She stared at him stoically, though he could see the regret in her eyes. "I saved Grayson's out dated ass, didn't I? Besides, it would take an idiot to think I'll use Joker venom." He smirked to himself. "I'm more classic than that. A knife and a gun often do the trick." Raven stared at him, obviously not finding his dark sense of humour amusing, but then sighed in defeat at his grin.

"I'm sorry." She said and he smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry too." He whispered back and she nodded, looking down at the skull on his chest. He sighed and placed a finger under her chin to bring her gaze back up, mostly because it didn't suit her to be shy. "But I had some fault in Robin's poisoning." Her eyebrows rose as she waited for him to explain. "It was a trap, love. What I heard… I did exactly what the Joker wanted me to do. I warned him, and the clown took the chance."

"That doesn't mean it was your fault."

"I should've been smarter."

"Yes. But it was still a mistake." He laughed at her answer, finding amusing how honest she could be with a total disregard for his feelings. "What are you going to do now?" She asked then, sensing his regret, and he shrugged.

"Well, there's still a lot of Xenothium left to steal." She hit him on the chest and he moaned in pain while laughing. She glared, obviously not finding it funny, so he sighed and was silent for a moment, thinking about it. "I guess I'll go back to Gotham. There's still a lot to do there." She used her hands to move his head so he would look back at her, her palms pressing against his cheek and he felt his heart beat louder.

"Don't kill him." He sighed as he realized that, once again, she wasn't going to kiss him. The tease.

"Is this another promise thing?" he asked jokingly but her expression was still serious.

"Yes." He raised an eyebrow at her answer.

"I already broke one before. What makes you believe I won't break this one too?" She looked down at his chest for a moment, deep in thought.

"I just do." She answered, still avoiding his eyes. "That's the thing with friends. You have to trust them, despite everything." He smirked, using his fingers to turn her face back to his. He moved the hair out of her face and she couldn't help but notice the big difference between his touch and Garfield's. His hands were cold, just as his love. Instead of protective and overpowering, it was greedy and mixed with regret.

"We're friends now?" He asked, interrupting her thoughts. She didn't look amused at his playful tone.

"Of course." She said and his grin widened.

"How about a friendly kiss?" She didn't seem amused.

"Don't push it." He laughed lightly, leaning forward.

"Come on, maybe if you kissed me that'll be enough to make me want to keep that promise." Raven raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe?" she repeated the word in disbelief and he smirked again.

"We won't know until we try it out, right?" She shook her head, but then stopped and raised an eyebrow. She smiled that playful half smile that took his breath away and he smiled back.

"I thought you were a thief." She teased and he let out a breath as he realized he'd stopped breathing.

"Is that an invitation?" he asked softly, leaning closer, "Or a challenge?"

"Neither." She answered and he could feel her breath on his lips, "It's merely an observation." He closed the distance and gently kissed her, but all too soon she pulled away and he frowned.

"That was barely a kiss." He complained and she stared at him with dull eyes.

"I'm still someone else's." Jason frowned.

"Not yet." He said whiningly leaning down again, but she stopped him, placing a hand on his chest to keep him away as she shook her head in disbelief.

"So you're willing to kiss a girl who's in love with another man?" her honest question made his eyes widen. Love? She was in love with that chump? He sighed, smiling sadly. But then his expression turned playful.

"Hey, if you have to ask, you still don't know me well enough." And she chuckled lightly, making him smile.

"I like your laugh." Raven's eyes returned to his and she raised an eyebrow, unsure if she heard him right. It didn't suit Jason to be this gentle.

"What a corny thing to say, coming from you." He smiled back.

"You're right. How about I talk about your eyes?" She pursed her lips, trying to hold back a smile, "Your hair? Still too corny?" She rolled her eyes, unamused. "I liked you better when you thought like me, when you felt what I felt. We were kindred spirits, love. Now you don't find me the least bit charming, do you?" She shook her head while rolling her eyes.

"That just shows you how much of an ego you have." He moved closer and gently caressed her face, pushing her hair back to see her face.

"How so?"

"You're in love with yourself." And he laughed again.

Jason spent the day with her, all the way through the night. The team was decent enough to let her be. Raven thought they probably imagined she was still tired, still sleeping.

The two didn't do much, but talk about random things. He asked her about Starfire way too much, she noticed, and she wondered if it was an attempt to make her feel jealous. He also asked about Robin, about how he was as a leader, and how ashamed Jason was to have someone so stiff as a brother. He told her tales of Batman, when he'd been growing up, not that she didn't know some of them already since she looked through his memories, but even then the connection hadn't been as strong as to know everything about him. Then he asked about Cyborg, curious about how he got the way he was, how he managed to know so much about everything. He didn't ask about Beast Boy and she understood why. Instead, she asked about Gotham city, what it was like, about its villains. She could understand his frustration when it came to Batman and how he dealt with things. Gotham wasn't like Jump city. It was corrupt to its very core, with little hope left to save it. Even the villains were far too crazy and far too gone to be expected to change, or so Jason believed. She fell asleep late that night without even noticing and, by the time she'd woken up, he'd already left. He did leave something behind though. A note on the bedside table:

_I told you I'd steal a kiss._

She'd gotten mad for a moment, her fingers immediately going to touch her lips as if the kiss would be recent enough to still feel her lips tingle, thinking he would actually steal a kiss while she'd been asleep, but then she smiled, shaking her head. Maybe it was for the best to not be certain. Maybe he was just trying to mess with her. Either way, she wasn't going to think about it.

Raven sighed as she stood up from her bed, stretching and knowing it would be a while until she saw Jason again. She walked up to her window and gently pulled open the curtains and winced at the light. But then she forced herself to look down at the ocean and enjoy the view. She'd always spend her time in the darkness, always avoiding the sun, but now that she'd lost and regained everything, she felt a bit more inclined to appreciate the little things. She blinked, wincing as a particular strong ray of light hit her eye. But it did lower her gaze to the table before the window. On it, a single metal box in the shape of a bird laid open, empty, her own reflection on the lid catching her eye. Raven smiled, picking it up. How long had it been since he gave her this present? A month? Maybe more than that… Just a month ago they'd been watching over Terra and now everything had changed. With the same gentle smile, she hugged the box against her chest, closing her eyes as she recalled the emotions she'd felt back then. Confusion, embarrassment, jealousy… love. How silly was Garfield to think there could be any other. She sighed, finally opening her eyes, as the light seemed to follow her eyes, lowering the box back to its place.

She moved to close the curtains only to look down at a figure sitting on the rocks. Way down, she could see a green, purple and black shape. She didn't need said person's enhanced vision to know who it was. So that was where he'd been hiding. She sighed, knowing she was the one who'd put him in such a depressed state. He was still ignoring her, even after a week of being able to leave the med room. And even back then, he hadn't been around. Cyborg had told her that Garfield had never left her side while she'd been unconscious, but the moment she'd been up, he'd been gone. And there he was, hiding on the rocks by the sea. From the distance, it was hard to know what he was feeling and she felt her stomach tighten. Was he mad at her? She did try to kill him, though it hadn't been her, not really. But was Beast Boy nice enough to know the difference? Or was this because of the kiss? She felt restless as she stared down at him. She needed to apologize, at the very least. Tell him that kiss had been a mistake, tell him… no. It hadn't been a mistake. It had been exactly what she'd wanted. She was going to face it straight and deal with the consequences.

"No more excuses." She told herself and she sighed, moving to the bathroom. Perhaps a shower first would help her clear her mind.

…

When she left her room, it'd already been a couple of hours since she told herself she would clear things up with Beast Boy. She'd tried to gather some courage to go down there and talk to him, but her nerves would get in the way every time. Much to her surprise, he was still there when she peeked through her window again, so her plan of 'missing' him had gone to the toilet. She sighed, walking down the hallway with the sole intention of speaking to him, but then a sight caught her off guard.

"Robin?" she asked, though the man before her wasn't dressed as Robin. He turned, smiling gently as he saw her, his blue eyes sparkling and she couldn't help but smile back sheepishly. She wasn't used to seeing him like that.

"Right now it's Dick." He said in a light tone, placing down the suitcase he'd been carrying. He was wearing a blue sweater, jeans and sneakers. Far too casual for this to be Robin.

"You're leaving?" She asked, raising an eyebrow and he shrugged, still smiling.

"Just for a couple of weeks. I- ah, I'm going to Gotham. You know, to see the family." She nodded in understanding, proud that her actions had caused some sort of impact in his behaviour.

"I'm sure Bruce will appreciate that." He laughed lightly.

"I'm preparing to receive the scolding of my life." He said playfully and she could see how much of the burden of being a hero left him when he took off the mask.

"From Bruce?" Dick shook his head and feigned horror.

"From Babs." He shuddered, "You know how many messages I found from her when I dared look? She's going to kill me."

"I'm sure she'll forgive you."

"Yeah." He said chuckling, "Right after kicking my ass." Raven wondered if that was a joke or if it was true, considering Barbara Gordon was in a wheelchair, but from the memories she'd managed to see from Jason, the woman was still a very well trained fighter, despite her limitations.

"She'll be happy to see you." He nodded.

"Yeah and I- eh, I wanted to spend some time with Tim too, you know?" He ran a hand through his hair, "Get to know the kid a bit. Maybe train with him." He sounded nervous and Raven nodded.

"I'm sure he'll like that." She said and just then, Starfire flew out of his room, carrying a huge bag with her, but the alien didn't seem bothered by its weight or size. She was dressed in a light summer dress and Raven raised an eyebrow.

"You are ready, yes?" asked the red head to her boyfriend and he nodded. So Starfire was going with him. Was this the whole 'introducing the girlfriend to the family' bit? "We will be seeing you soon, friend Raven." Before they left though, Starfire dropped her bag to the floor and flew to the empath, pulling her into a tight hug, raising her from the floor. "Please take care of yourself and the others, sister!" She squealed and Raven gasped.

"Star- Air!"

"Oh! I apologise." Starfire dropped her and Raven gasped, raising an eyebrow and giving the alien girl a tiny smile.

"Have fun." The alien nodded and flew to join the grinning Richard. The two walked down the hallway until they were lost, leaving Raven staring behind.

"Ha." She muttered to herself, still staring at the spot the two had been, "That was a surprise."

…

Beast Boy stared at the waves lost in thought. He'd grown bored long ago, but found no reason to leave the place. He played with a rock, tossing it up and down in his hand, wondering if he should throw it out at the ocean like he had back with Terra. He sighed, staring down at the rock on his palm. Terra. It'd been a while since he last thought of her. He ran his free hand through his hair, letting out a sigh. Things were so messed up. He wondered if the blonde would still be with what's his face? He noted bitterly that the memory of the two did nothing to him. Not like the memory of the fight did. Not like seeing Raven reach out for Jason while she'd still been in the beast's arms. And Robin had invited the jerk to join the team.

Beast Boy closed his fist around the stone, holding it tightly. He was jealous and he admitted it now. But wasn't this for the best? He was sure the thief was all kinds of wrong for Raven. He was a thief, for starters. And he was too suave and sarcastic, and you never knew what he was thinking and- and he sounded like a perfect match for Raven. Plus Robin had said so, right? Todd was charming and Raven liked charming.

Garfield dropped the stone unceremoniously back to the ground. Everything sucked. So perhaps Raven had kissed him, Garfield, goodbye back at the lab. Maybe that kiss meant nothing to her. Well, that wasn't fair. Especially because that kiss, those few seconds when he'd closed his eyes and kissed back, had shattered his world and opened up something inside his chest he hadn't known was there. Besides, Raven was too good for that freak and his skull mask. Maybe she would grow bored with someone like that, too similar to her in too many aspects. So maybe she'd just been temporarily charmed by the street kid story, or the bad boy look, or the mask. Garfield thought, not for the first time, about getting a mask. Raven would probably dig him too if he wore a mask like Robin and Todd did. Hadn't she said before that she thought the mask was cool?

He sighed, running his fingers through his hair, pulling at it. This was so wrong! Not only did he acted like a complete… beast with Raven but he also almost killed her… whatever that thief was to her. And he was crazy about her. Maybe even loved her. And he was going to have to live with her and that rat and pretend he didn't and it was going to suck. He pouted again at the ocean as if it was at fault. But… He sighed again. Hadn't Raven said that was what love was all about? True love wasn't selfish or something like that?

_It's about standing by when the person you love is being happy with someone else._

He could almost hear her voice saying that. He sighed again in defeat. Standing by… That would be so hard to do.

"Garfield." Especially when he kept hearing her voice in his head.

"Garfield?"

Beast Boy jumped, suddenly startled. A green puffed up cat fell instead of him, looking back at the girl he'd been thinking about just a few seconds ago. He transformed back to his human shape and blushed deeply as soon as he realized he'd, once again, acted like an idiot in front of her. And she looked just stunning, with her hair softly moving in the wind, her cloak covering all of her, except her legs as she walked.

"Gar?"

His eyes went up at her face and his blush deepened as he realized he'd been staring at her legs. "Um… Hi." The greeting sounded a few octaves higher than normal so he tried clearing his throat. "You- ah- you look good." His eyes widened and she raised an eyebrow. "I mean- HEALTHY! You look healthy. As in not hurt! I- you're out of the infirmary? Well, of course you are! You're here. You've been out for a while. How have you been? Well, good, obviously. I can-" He cleared his throat again, "I can see that, since you're- ah- walking. And that's good. Walking is… good." He finished the sentence sheepishly and looked down at the ground. What the hell was wrong with him?

"Can I join you?" She asked and he looked up in surprise. He nodded after a moment, not trusting himself to speak. The empath looked as stoic as ever as she sat next to him, and he gulped down his nervousness, turning his eyes back at the ocean, trying not to think about how the wind carried her scent right to him. The two sat in silence and it was killing him. His eyes kept moving to her and he would have to force them back to the ocean. _Don't stare!_ But he couldn't take the silence anymore.

"I heard about Todd." "I wanted to speak with you."

The two talked at the same time. He turned, blinking at her in shock. Was she as nervous as he was feeling? He looked down, and then realized his eyes were stuck on the pin holding her cloak, so he moved his stare back at the ocean.

"You go first." She suggested turning as well, and he cleared his throat, hoping his voice wouldn't come out too high or as a croak.

"I heard Robin invited X to join the titans." He said shyly, feeling suddenly very inadequate to even speak, but he tried anyway. "You must be happy." He didn't dare look up at her.

"I am." She said emotionlessly, still staring down at the ocean, and he felt his chest suddenly tighten. "It means Robin managed to reconcile with his brother." He nodded, though that hadn't been what he'd meant, so he pressed the matter.

"And you two will get to be together." She raised an eyebrow; again she felt the wave of jealousy and stared at his profile. He was pouting, his fangs sticking out cutely as he stared at the waves.

"Jason won't join the titans." She said and he looked at her sideways.

"Oh?" She turned her eyes back at the ocean.

"He's a thief." She added and he nodded, though he was unsure what her point was. It hadn't mattered to her before, so maybe she saw the light or something? He was never sure with Raven, especially when she was so good at hiding her emotions and she almost always spoke in that monotone. "He would never join a team. As much as Robin would like to see him repent, there are things none of us can change, especially Jason. He's just too stubborn. But at least he won't be a problem to the Titans anymore. He's going back to Gotham, and I think it's for the best. I believe he wants to help, as odd as that is." He nodded, looking down bitterly. At least the dude was leaving but, to be honest, Beast Boy didn't want to hear about wonderful bad boy Jason. Why the hell did he bring it up? This was killing him. But then, maybe she noticed his discomfort or some random god decided to take pity on him, because she added, "But I'm not here to talk about him." Garfield turned to her in wonder, staring shyly. He gulped as he looked at her profile, and then she turned and he couldn't even blink as he stared into her eyes.

"Oh." He repeated dumbly, unsure of what to say. Raven looked straight at him too, her face unreadable as always and he felt his own face heat up again. How did she do that? How did she turn him into a mass of nervousness and sweat with just one look?

"I wanted to apologize, Garfield." She said, and this time it was her who lowered her eyes. "I dragged you into something you shouldn't have gone through. It was my problem and you had to- I almost killed you. I'm sorry. I understand why you've been avoiding me and if you don't want us to… be near each other anymore, I'll keep my distance." He shook his head.

"No! That's not-!" He stopped as he realized he was screaming and that at some point he'd reached for her hand. He dropped it, blushing again. "I- I thought you, well… I was the one who…" He sighed. "I suck at this." The last was muttered but she raised an eyebrow. He scratched the back of his neck nervously as he tried to come up with the right words. "I- I was the one who held you back, Rae. I-" He gulped as he realized he'd used her nickname. But that didn't bother her anymore, did it? He peeked at her face and she was staring at him with those unreadable eyes. "I lost control too. You have to understand, I mean… I thought you and Todd… And I don't… really have much control when I get like… that. And I let… I let my feelings get in the way and my instincts just took over. I couldn't… Couldn't transform back. I felt like… I needed to protect you." He stopped, blushing and looking down.

She was quiet for a long time, and he thought she was just going to leave. But then he felt a caress and his eyes widened. He turned to her slowly, as she pressed the back of her hand against his cheek. "Rae?" he whispered, unable to raise his voice and she stared at him curiously.

"It was you." She whispered as well and he blinked in confusion.

"I- ah. What are you-?"

"When I was lost in my mind, I felt… warm. It was you, just like this." He blinked, having no idea what she was talking about. But then she gave him the softest smile and he sighed at the sight. A shaking gloved hand nervously made its way up and grabbed the hand pressed against his cheek. He held it in place, closing his eyes and cherishing, just for that moment, the feeling of her skin against his.

"I- I wanted to tell you… to ask you." He whispered; eyes still closed because he didn't feel brave enough to look into her eyes as he spoke. "I know you don't like to talk about… feelings and stuff. But I- I need to know. You- ah. You kissed me, Rae." He blushed and he dared open his eyes slightly. No blush, no expression, just her with her soft smile and he gulped again. "Be-because I- to me that was… wow. And I just, I wanted to know what it meant… I mean, whatever you want, I'm fine with it. You must know that, right? I'm… happy with whatever. Just being with you, I mean. It doesn't matter how. But… You know, maybe, if you did that, and… well, what I feel… um." Her smile widened ever so slightly and her hand moved from his grasp and his cheek, to gently place a finger against his lips, quieting him down.

"I know." She said and his eyes widened, his blush deepening if that was possible. She knew? Well, of course she knew! She was an empath. She probably knew it before he did. Oh no! She knew! What was he going to do? He'd just ruined his chance with her forever, hadn't he? And what now? He was going to have to see her every day knowing she knew and he knew, but couldn't do anything and GAH! He could hear his own heart pounding in his ears. He was dead. Yup. He was never going back to that tower again. But then, so softly, she spoke again. "Me too." He blinked once, thinking perhaps he'd imagined it. Then blinked again, when he thought he'd heard wrong. And a third time, when he noticed her tiny smile growing.

"You too." He repeated in disbelief, speaking against her finger and she nodded.

"Me too." She repeated, "For the longest time." and he sighed against her finger.

"I-" He stopped as he noticed her finger was still on his lips and he grabbed her hand, removing it from his lips and lacing his fingers through hers. He blushed, looking down at their joined hands, unsure of what he was supposed to do now. "I thought you would be… you know… Todd…" After all, her demon had said so, but Raven shook her head in response.

"Don't be daft." She said in her usual monotonous voice and this time he wasn't offended, but relieved. "Jason can't make me laugh." And he grinned widely, letting out a breath. He moved closer, his hand still holding hers and he looked at her shyly.

"Then… why did you…?" He asked, not finishing the sentence, mostly because he knew she knew what he was talking about, and she stared up at him in wonder. He was still jealous, still needed reassurance of her feelings and she looked down at their joined hands.

"I understand what it's like to have your roots define you. To feel hatred and want to do something about it. And I also know what it's like to have your emotions out of control, dictate your actions." She sighed, looking away as the waves crashed a few meters from them. "I tried to help him, save him."

"Why?" he whispered and she turned to look up at him.

"Because that's what you did for me. You all did. The team. You… faced the worst parts of yourselves to bring me back. I thought… Jason is Robin's brother. That meant that some part of him had to be good. It was the right thing to do."

He stared at her for the longest time and she looked away again, worried that he would be able to read her emotionless face.

"I was wrong." He said finally, and she raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" He smiled sheepishly.

"I said before… some weeks ago that you're… angry and selfish." He sighed dreamily. "You're not, Rae. You're…" He struggled to find a word and she tried to help.

"Badass?" she said, repeating the compliment he'd given her then and he laughed awkwardly.

"Well, yeah. But not just that. You're…" He sighed, "You're… What's the opposite of selfish?" She almost laughed, but she only raised an eyebrow.

"Unselfish?" He could've kicked himself over his own stupidity.

"Right." He gulped, blushing and embarrassed before smiling at her sheepishly as she shook her head in amusement. So he tried something else. "Now what?" Not that what he'd tried had been smart. She sighed, smiling those tiny smiles she gave him when she was truly at peace and he felt his heart hammer inside his chest.

"Well… We both feel the same way." She said timidly, "That's a good place to start." He looked nervous and leaned down shyly.

"Um… does that mean that we… um…" He started, stumbling over his own words, and she raised an eyebrow in wonder. What was he going to say? Was this the moment when he would try and label them? Call her a 'girlfriend'? Be a couple? "Can make out?" Her eyes widened in surprise. Well, she hadn't been expecting that.

"Okay." She heard herself say in the same monotonous voice and he smiled sheepishly, moving even closer. He licked his lips as he looked down at hers and then gulped his nerves. He saw her close her eyes and he sighed as he closed his as well. Kissing the first time had been easy, but now it seemed that they had all the time in the world.

"Gar?" She whispered when he took too long, and so he pressed his lips against hers. And it was awesome, just like the first time. All the time in the world indeed. He placed a hand on her cheek, bringing her closer and savouring her lips. After a moment, he allowed himself to be a little daring, and so his lips parted and he tentatively licked her lower lip.

And something exploded.

He jumped, breaking the kiss and holding her close protectively, thinking maybe someone had attacked them or something was going to take her away again. But then he blinked, staring at a space where a huge rock had been just a few seconds ago, tiny pieces still falling. He turned, looking down at her and noticed she was blushing, looking down sheepishly.

"Sorry…" she muttered and he realized it'd been her powers the ones that made the rock explode. He released his hold slightly, letting her breath and laughed awkwardly.

"Well, I guess there are things I'm going to have to get used to." He said lightly and she looked up at him with a pout. He chuckled again at her distressed expression, and lowered his head to kiss her again, this time not risking getting interrupted. Still, he felt something stir inside him and he moaned against her lips. Something told him it wasn't going to take long before he got used to this.

…

**HOLY CRAP! Fifteen chapters! I hope you guys liked the story. I just want to add something regarding the comments I've read and how the story has been developing. While I know I can't please everybody, I want to let others know why I made the story move the way it did.**

**My English sucks. Yes, I admit it. This is my second language and I've been trying to keep the grammar mistakes (and the Yoda speech) to a minimum, but it still leaks out, so I apologize for any mistakes I might have made.**

**OOCness. I think I explained this in Different, but I didn't here. I should've, and I'll add an author's comment in the first chapter explaining it, once I start the second editing of the story, but these characters are based BOTH on the comic books and the cartoon. I took what I liked from both stories, both good and bad, and mixed them up in one. **

**Raven is still stoic and a bookworm, but she also had a good heart in the comic books. She was always trying to help out those she thought could get better, plus I made her empath powers shine more, since they never did that in the show, and I also made her soul powers less kick ass, making her easily tired, like it happens in the comic books. I just always thought that they made her overpowered in the TV show, not properly showing how much strain it was for her to use her demonic powers. **

**Beast Boy is possessive, yes. You can see how obsessive he is in the comic books, especially regarding Raven. He's always there, sacrifices himself constantly for her, not only physically but also emotionally, and is very protective of her, to a point where he forgets his other responsibilities, like leading the titans (Read the Wyld story line if you don't believe me) I still wanted to keep that shy personality when it comes to girls that you get to see in the TV show, like when he's with Terra. He can act awkward when he really likes a girl, and often ruins things for himself, which I find adorkable. Plus we know from the comic books that his humour comes from his lack of self esteem, trying to hide his insecurities behind bad jokes. I guess that's part of why he's so possessive, since he can't see why Rae would choose him. At least that was my goal, maybe I missed. _ Sorry.**

**Cyborg is and will always be, in my opinion, the big brother of the group. In the comic books, even when he was out Titans went to him to talk out their problems, which I loved. I also like to think he has a special relationship with Raven, and since this story is centred on her, I wanted to show a bit of that. Maybe I made him a tad over protective, but that's just me catering my fangirl. xD **

**Robin is serious in the TV show, and it always confused me considering how warm and caring and how much of a jokester Richard Grayson is in the comic books. I wanted to give some balance between the two. I believe that the role of leader gives him that attitude of responsible guide, and I made it so when he's NOT in this position, he can relax. That often happens when he's with Star too. **

**Starfire, gosh. I hate what they did to her in the TV show. She's adorable, and I love how alien she is to anything earthling, and how she still tries to celebrate her culture by making dishes or speaking some words. In the comic book that is shown with her Tamaranean garden and, in some ways, I like that. What I hated though was how weak of a personality they gave her. In the comic books she's tough. Yes, she's all about love and what not, but she's also about freedom and independence and girl power. Hell, she fights with Wonder Woman and manages to stand up to her. In the TV show she just seems too emotionally weak. While I think she CAN be vulnerable, she's never weak. She's proud and should show it when standing up to others for what she believes in, especially against Robin. That doesn't happen in the TV show as often as I would have wanted it to, but I wanted it to happen here, even if it was just a bit. **

**Jason, well, I sort of had more liberties with him, considering he's sort of an original character but isn't. He's not exactly like in the comic books, since I made him less crazy, but he's not exactly like in the TV show, since I didn't have much to work with. I didn't make him as badass and perturbed as he is in the comic books, since I wanted to keep the story light and fun and someone who's been through what Jason did in the comic books would never be able to be that light hearted. And yes, maybe this story was slightly influenced by the fact that Jason gave Raven special treatment when he tried to kill Tim in the comic books. Those who read the comic will know. xD**

**Too much drama. Yes, I know, I'm sorry. I tried to make it as light hearted as possible, but sometimes it's hard to joke when there're people dying in a story. It had a happy ending at least, right? Sort of… maybe?**

**I misspell Zinthos… A lot… Yup. Sorry. I'll fix that during the second editing. _ **

**Well, this isn't all there is to the story. I still have a tiny scene as an Epilogue, just to add some mush and fluff to the drama. Hopefully it won't give you diabetes. :D Thank you guys for reading the story, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And check out Different, if you haven't already, which is a series of One-shots set after this story. And I can FINALLY bring in Jason. MUAHAHA. Ha… *cough***


	16. Epilogue

**Epilogue.**

"Rae?"

Raven felt at peace. In her dreams, she floated inside her head, finally enjoying the solitude that came with the fact that she no longer had to share the space. She could hear herself think, she could feel her emotions running about inside her, moving, struggling to be let out like before. The best part was that they were all her, there were no intruders… except for one she didn't dislike. She smiled gently, letting out a sigh as warmth filled her, spreading from her cheek to the rest of her body. She shivered, feeling goose bumps all over her skin and her smile widened. It wasn't long before her lips tingled and she let out a happy purr at the sensation. How long had it been since she'd felt this pleased?

"Raven?"

Someone was calling her, but she feared that if she opened her eyes, the sensations would be gone. At least in her dreams, she wanted to let herself enjoy what she couldn't in real life. But who was that calling her?

"Beautiful…"

She knew that voice. No longer could she resist, since the compliment had made her feel warmer than before, and her eyes fluttered open. She was in her bedroom, she noticed; her eyes trying to adjust to the lack of light and she was no longer dreaming. But the warmth, the call, the compliment hadn't been part of the dream. She stared up at two bright green eyes as sleep left her and she blinked again, finally waking up fully.

"Gar?" She whispered and he smiled down at her sheepishly, removing his hand from her cheek. "What are you doing in my bedroom?" He blushed, leaning back and letting her sit up on her bed.

"Um… Sorry. I know you don't- ah, like it when I come here, but… well, I sort of have a surprise for you." Gar smiled sheepishly at her and she raised an eyebrow and he suddenly felt even more nervous. "It's nothing big. Just… you know. Something. I was thinking, um… maybe you'll want to join me?" She stared at him for a moment and he realized what it must had sounded like, so he blushed deeply, "No! Not like that! Just- well… Just-" He sighed, "Come with me?" She stared again and he was sure she was going to refuse, "Please?" She gave one of her tiny smiles at his whiny tone and he let out the breath he was holding.

Raven pulled off the sheets that covered her, throwing her legs to the side of the bed as he stepped back, giving her some space, but then blushed deeply.

"You, um… You might want to grab a cloak or something. It's rather cold out there." He smiled sheepishly, turning to leave her room. "I'll wait for you outside." She blinked at him as he moved to leave her alone and then looked down, as she noticed what she'd been wearing. A cotton light blue sleeveless shirt and matching pants that seemed too big for her. She almost laughed as she noticed why he'd blushed, shaking her head, considering her normal outfit showed far more skin than her pajamas and she moved to do just as he'd told her. By the time she was out, she looked like she always did, completely covered by her usual cloak.

"Ready, milady?" He asked as soon as he saw her, grinning and bowing deeply, moving to take a hand. He kissed said hand and smiled sheepishly at her as he straightened his back. She raised an eyebrow as he offered his arm and she grabbed it, rolling her eyes as his grin grew wider.

"Where are we going?" She wondered, as he looked far happier than normal.

"Like I said, it's nothing special, but… well, I'm not sure if you've been keeping track, but it's been a week since we- you know." He blushed slightly and she felt his happiness through his arm. "And, well, I was thinking since I missed your birthday and all, which I totally regret, that we could… um… celebrate a bit. Just the two of us."

They reached the door to the roof and Beast Boy moved to open the door. Her eyes widened at the sight. This late, the city was barely illuminated, allowing them so see the stars reflecting on the bay, the water moving gently. On the floor, there was a blanket and, on top of that, a pot with a couple of mugs, and she could smell the faint scent of jasmine tea. She felt his nervousness and she turned as he stared at her, noticing just now she'd been quiet for too long.

"Do you like it?" he asked shyly and she gave him a tiny smile.

"I do. It's perfect." He grinned widely and grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the blanket.

"Best part is we sort of have the tower for ourselves, since Robin and Star are still in Gotham and-" his expression turned mischievous, "I made sure Cyborg would sleep through the night." She raised an eyebrow.

"What did you do?" He shrugged,

"Just changed the timer in his sleeping mode. Nothing major." She shook her head as she sat next to him on the blanket. He grinned, moving to serve the tea. "I hope I didn't it mess up. I read tonight was the perfect night to star gaze since, you know, no moon or whatever." He leaned closer, giving her a cup of warm tea. "Maybe we'll get to see a shooting star? Make a wish and all that." She grabbed the mug and raised an eyebrow.

"Seems unlikely. The city's lights will probably keep us from seeing them." His ears dropped slightly.

"Oh…" And she felt bad for crushing his attempt at romance, so she added,

"But we've been lucky lately, so perhaps we'll manage to see one." He grinned, leaning down to kiss her cheek. She almost smiled at his slight blush since both were still getting used to the relationship.

"I don't need one anyway." He said, staring into her eyes, "I already have everything I want." She stared at him for a moment before letting out a snort. "Oh come on! That was WAY romantic!" He grinned sheepishly and she shook her head in amusement. She blew at her tea, increasing the amount of steam coming from it. It was a cold night and the reminder made her shiver. "Cold?" She turned, noticing he'd been staring at her and she shook her head.

"I'm fine." He grinned, obviously having anticipated the answer.

"Well I'm here, you know? Furry and all." He moved closer, "I could hold you and make you feel hot." She raised an eyebrow and he blushed, "And that totally came out wrong." He cleared his throat, "Warm is what I meant." He looked away in embarrassment, inwardly kicking himself for once again speaking before thinking. But then he felt her hand on his and he let out a shaky breath.

The two spent the time staring up at the sky. Sometimes Beast Boy would try to appear smart and point out at some stars, mention the constellations, which he mostly got wrong and he would pout every time she corrected him.

"Oh come on!" He was saying lightly, "How is THAT a Pegasus?" She almost smiled.

"Well, you're watching it upside down." The two were now laying on the blanket, staring up at the sky as Raven raised an arm, her index finger moving as if it was drawing. "See those four stars that make a square? That's the body." He frowned, as he still didn't see it.

"I see the square. I don't see a Pegasus." She rolled her eyes.

"You just need to use your imagination. See that other star? That's the front leg. And those two? The head." His lips pursed.

"Those Greeks must've been high when they came up with that stuff. That's obviously a platypus!" She chuckled and he grinned widely, feeling incredibly proud at the fact that he made her laugh. He turned to look at her face and smiled gently. "I like your laugh."

Her eyes widened as she too turned to him, staring back in silence. Those were the exact same words Jason had told her before he left and she sighed, thinking how they actually fit the man in front of her much better than they had the thief. Funny too how the two shared the same eye colour, yet seemed so different when they stared at her. Jason would never be able to get rid of that coldness, whereas Garfield only showed warmth. She raised a hand and placed it on Garfield's cheek and he closed his eyes, fully content to be touched. It made her smile gently.

"You're like a kitten." She pointed out, as she moved her hand in a soft caress and his head moved along. He grinned as he opened his eyes.

"Maybe I'm like a cat, trying to catch the raven." She rolled her eyes at his bad pun, but he kept grinning and wiggling his eyebrows.

"The line is 'canary'." He shrugged, moving closer, his arms sneaking inside her cloak to rest his hands on her waist.

"I prefer ravens." He said before leaning down and kissed her. Raven kissed him back, sighing against his lips, trying to hold back and control her emotions. In her head, she repeated her mantra, trying not to break anything. He groaned against her lips as soon as he realized she was still wearing her pajamas under the cloak and he pulled her closer.

_Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos… _

Gar's hands went around her and he tentatively licked her lower lip. This time nothing exploded and he smiled against her lips. She opened her mouth and he kissed her deeply, letting a small growl escape from the back of his throat.

_Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zin- AH!_

His hands sneaked behind her back, slowly raising her top and she felt his hands against her bare skin. Not for long though, because a sudden crash made him pull away suddenly, almost pushing her as he jumped.

"HOT! HOT!" He complained, sitting up as his arms waved. Raven sat up too, completely breathless and surprised. His slight touch had made her lose control once again and she noticed her powers had made the pot holding the hot tea, explode behind him and splash his back with its contents. "I'M MELTING!"

"Calm down." She hurried, feeling embarrassed that she'd once again ruined a moment between the two. Her hands started to glow and he turned, sighing in relief as she placed her healing touch on his back. This sucked. He pouted, knowing he'd pushed things too far, and he hit his forehead with one hand constantly.

"Idiot, idiot, idiot!" He was muttering under his breath and she sighed as she felt his pain and embarrassment through his back.

"I'm sorry." She muttered behind, struggling to come up with something else to say, "It was my fault." And he sighed at her guilty tone.

"It's okay. I'm fine." She was quiet for a moment and then shook her head, even if he couldn't see her. "I shouldn't have…" He blushed as he couldn't come up with the words, but then he felt her head against his back and his eyes widened in surprise. "Rae?"

"I'm sorry we can't have a normal relationship." He wasn't an empath, but he could sense she was sad as well, despite her monotone.

"Hey, who says I want that? Normal is overrated anyway." He said lightly, smiling up at the stars. Her hands dropped from his back when she was done healing him, leaning back and he turned to smile at her. Despite her emotionless face, her eyes were down and he could tell she was still bothered by it. So he grabbed her hands, smiling gently. "We'll just have to take baby steps, Rae." After all, before he hadn't been able to make out with her last time and now they'd lasted longer. She peered at him shyly through her eyelashes, still feeling self-conscious.

"Are you sure you're willing to do that?" He shrugged lightly, as if it didn't bother him at all, though he knew it was going to take a lot of self-control to be with Raven.

"You're worth it." She raised an eyebrow, about to point out how corny the line was, but she saw in his eyes that he was serious and she smiled gently. For a moment there, the two stared into each others eyes, but of course he had to ruin it. "Now, wasn't that the most romantic line you've ever heard?" He added with a grin and she rolled her eyes. "You have the best boyfriend ever, or what?" She stared at him, as it seemed he hadn't realized what he'd just said.

"Boyfriend?" She repeated and he blushed deeply.

"Did I say 'boyfriend'?" He asked sheepishly and she smiled.

"Mhm." She answered, looking amused. He gulped, and then cleared his throat.

"Well, you- ah. I mean, we- we feel the same way, right? So I thought that you- ah, might be, you know…"

"Your girlfriend?" She helped and he looked down awkwardly.

"Well, yeah." He said awkwardly and she stared again. Being under her scrutinizing gaze only served to make him feel even more embarrassed.

"Okay." He almost couldn't believe it as he blinked at her. She was wearing her usual stoic face, so he was unsure on how to react.

"Really?" His voice came out far too high and he blushed again. But then she smiled her usual tiny, almost undetectable smile and he returned it sheepishly.

"Really." He grinned widely, letting out a breath.

"Awesome!" And she couldn't help but smile back at his enthusiasm. She would've giggled, but it truly wasn't her style. Instead, she grabbed his hands and caressed the gloved skin with her thumbs.

"Then it's settled." He blinked, raising an eyebrow. 'Settled'. Only Raven would make getting in a relationship sound as if she was signing a contract. And maybe for her it was, considering how independent the empath was. Man, and all he wanted to do was hug her tightly and never let go, but he knew she wouldn't appreciate that. He stared at her as she licked her lower lip and his eyelids dropped halfway as he stared at her dazedly. Oh, what the hell? He pulled at her hands, suddenly catching her with his arms and squeezing her gently. "Garfield?" He smiled to himself, closing his eyes and nuzzling her neck. He just loved it when she used his name.

"You smell so good…" He moaned against her as he moved to nuzzle her neck, taking a deep breath. Gar smiled to himself as he heard her muttering against his ear, her breath tickling him.

"_Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos… Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos." _

He placed a kiss on her neck and he felt the skin move under his lips as she gulped. _She tastes so good…_ and he licked the skin.

And just like before, the two mugs placed next to them exploded, covering both with now cold tea. Garfield leaned back, blinking at her in surprise as she blushed deeply, staring right back with wide eyes. This was going to be much harder than he first thought. He laughed, finding humour in their situation and the fact that tea was dripping from her chin, and he could feel his own hair wet and plastered against his forehead. She glared at him, obviously not finding it funny and feeling sheepish as he laughed. How had she managed to make the tea jump high enough to get both of them wet was beyond him. Gar grinned as she tried to blow her damp hair out of her face, but couldn't get it to move, and he removed it himself with one caress, still grinning. Even all covered in tea and glaring, wearing oversized nightclothes and hiding under a cloak, she managed to look beautiful. Yes, it would be difficult, but it would be so worth it. And he leaned down to kiss her again.

…

**Can I just say I love you guys? I'm going to miss this story so bad, but it can't go on forever. Thank you all reviewers for your support, particularly those who helped me through the story, discussing the different characters helped me greatly to figure out how they'll act. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! ;D **

**Well, if you want to keep this going, you know the sequel already has tons of chapters to go to. If you haven't already, please check out Different to see what happens with these two. **

**Thank you so much for reading the story and I hope you leave me a comment on it. It makes my day when I receive a review, so please don't skip that. Thanks again for your support.**


End file.
